Attorney Stephen P. New is representing Kevin Kelly and the Tate Twins, who have filed a lawsuit against AEW. AEW CEO Tony Khan and Ian Riccaboni are named in the suit. New discussed the case in a new interview.
Speaking on House Of Kayfabe, Stephen P. New opened up about the lawsuit. In one highlight, he stated that Kevin Kelly had a three-year contract with AEW. (H/t Andrew Thompson of POST Wrestling)
“[Kevin Kelly] Kelly perceived being treated differently by AEW, by H.R., by the people in the home office after this dustup with (Ian) Riccaboni and then resulting in that first week of March being let go, by AEW,” he said. “Only about nine months into a three-year long contract.”
Stephen P. New On Ian Riccaboni
New went on to discuss the defamation claim against Ian Riccaboni. He noted that it stemmed from Riccaboni’s accusation that Kevin Kelly was a part of QAnon. New explained that the comments made a difference. He stated that people still believed what Riccaboni said about Kelly.
“Just look at some of the things said about Kevin Kelly today, in response to this lawsuit,” New said. “He was called a conspiracy theorist and a QAnon quack, just by virtue of the fact of him being trending on Twitter and being the headline in this lawsuit and the named plaintiff in this lawsuit. People still believe that stuff so, one of the things that makes the defamation claim a little tougher is the actual malice. There can probably be a pretty straight-faced argument that these plaintiffs are public figures, they wrestle on national television, cable television.
“So they can at least make that straight-faced argument because in addition to the four things that you have to prove with defamation about the publication of a knowingly false statement and making it nonetheless, in the case of a public figure, you have to show that the act was done with actual malice, and that’s where Riccaboni trying to knife a competitor in the back for an announcing job. We might just be able to get there on that one.
New also stated that comments about Kevin Kelly on social media that were related to Riccaboni’s remarks could be used in the case, and he went into detail about how a reputation expert would utilize them.
Stephen P. New Responds To Jim Ross
AEW broadcaster Jim Ross sparked some buzz when he called the lawsuit “frivolous.” New took the opportunity to respond to Ross and said that the lawsuit was not frivolous. He also said that Ross was part of the problem, given his work in WWE.
“I need to make a response. J.R., Jim Ross called this lawsuit frivolous,” New said. “Well, let me tell you something, boola-boola, this is not a frivolous lawsuit. You’re part of the problem. You, Jim Ross, are part of the problem because you fed the guys in WWE, as Talent Relations, these crap contracts for a quarter of a century. You told these guys that it was the take it or leave it deal and that they needed to sign these crap contracts that were contracts of adhesion, that they should’ve never have signed or they should have lined the arbitration provisions out of so, I’m not shocked in the least that you go on Conrad Thompson’s podcast and you say that this is a frivolous lawsuit. I might lose it, but bah gawd! It’s not frivolous. I can tell you that.
“Tony Khan’s paid J.R. a lot of money to do nothing, for about five years now, and so, if I were Jim Ross and I were living at Jacksonville Beach and making a bunch of money to not do much at all, I’d probably come out and call Stephen P. New’s lawsuit frivolous also. Everybody’s got a price.”
WrestleZone will provide more information about the lawsuit as it becomes available.
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