$250 Million Plagiarism Lawsuit Against WWE And AEW Dropped
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Anthony Duane Wilson initiated legal proceedings against WWE and AEW, making serious allegations of plagiarism.
In August 2023, Wilson accused both wrestling promotions of utilizing his creative concepts—such as wrestling characters, names, slogans, and visuals—without his permission.
He contended that this appropriation interfered with his ambitions to establish his wrestling promotion and adversely affected his discussions with Bullet Club members regarding joining his venture.
Wilson asserted that WWE and AEW’s actions damaged his business, reputation, and financial standing. He claimed WWE and AEW took advantage of his work without offering him acknowledgment or compensation, deliberately obstructing his career.
On November 3, 2023, Judge Benita Y. Pearson rejected the lawsuit because the legal documents had not been promptly delivered to either WWE or AEW within the mandated 90-day period following his filing in August 2023.
Despite the case being dismissed, Wilson elected to refile the lawsuit and ensure that both companies were duly served this time. He initially aimed for $250 million in damages and sought the recovery of his intellectual property. AEW later submitted a motion to dismiss the lawsuit earlier this year.
Pwinsider is reporting that Wilson's plagiarism lawsuit against WWE and AEW was officially dismissed on October 22 by Judge Benita Y. Pearson in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Youngstown.
For AEW, the case was dismissed with prejudice, meaning Wilson cannot pursue the case against them again.
AEW contended that Wilson did not provide specific factual allegations and failed to sufficiently address their arguments, thus absolving them of the claims.
Regarding WWE, the court dismissed the case due to a "lack of personal jurisdiction."The court found it lacked authority over WWE, as Wilson did not show that WWE, a Delaware corporation based in Connecticut, should fall under Ohio's jurisdiction.
However, the dismissal was without prejudice, indicating that Wilson could potentially refile the lawsuit in a jurisdictionally appropriate court.
The plaintiff also requested five-year prison sentences for AEW and WWE, but none of that will happen now that the lawsuit has been dismissed again, and it seems unlikely that he will be filing another lawsuit anytime soon.
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