WWE concussion lawsuit being appealed to U.S. Supreme Court
More than six months after their lawsuit was dismissed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the group of former WWE wrestlers suing the company is appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The group of five former wrestlers, led by lawyer Konstantine Kyros, is claiming WWE didn’t protect them or their interests from repeated head injuries and concussions that could have resulted in CTE and other physical and mental health ailments.
The five plaintiffs are Billy Jack Haynes (William Haynes), Russ McCullough, Ryan Sakoda, Luther Reigns (Matthew Wiese) and the wife of the late Nelson “Viscera” Frazier. Previously, more than 50 names were attached to the suit.
The Wednesday request is asking the country’s highest court to hear the appeals from lower court rulings that were dismissed. A Connecticut court ruled in 2018 that the claims were both frivolous and/or filed after the statute of limitations expired and that WWE couldn’t have known concussions or head injuries caused CTE. The aforementioned Second Circuit affirmed that ruling in September.
Jerry McDevitt, representing WWE, told the Associated Press that he doesn’t believe this attempt will succeed.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.