AEW & Tony Khan File To Move Ryan Nemeth Lawsuit To Arbitration
Following the lawsuit filed by former AEW star Ryan Nemeth in California last month, AEW and its president, Tony Khan, responded by filing a petition yesterday to compel Nemeth to enter arbitration, according to POST Wrestling. The petition was submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
In the new petition, AEW and Khan argue that the claims made by Nemeth, which include professional retaliation, assault, and being blacklisted from the wrestling industry by AEW, Khan, and former star Phil Brooks (CM Punk), should be resolved through private arbitration rather than in public court. They also state that Nemeth "ignored his contractual obligations and the binding authority requiring arbitration by filing a lawsuit in Los Angeles County." The petition asserts that Nemeth signed three contracts during his time in AEW (March 1, 2021, January 17, 2022, and March 1, 2023) that contain identical arbitration clauses mandating disputes to be resolved in Duval County, Florida, under JAMS, Inc.
POST Wrestling included part of the arbitration clause in Nemeth's contract, which stated, "[a]ll disputes between [Nemeth] and AEW, including, without limitation, any dispute relating to any matter arising under this Agreement or any dispute concerning the performance, application or interpretation of any provision of this Agreement, shall be resolved for final, binding, and conclusive arbitration conducted before a single arbitrator in Duval County, Florida and administered by JAMS, Inc. pursuant to its Comprehensive Arbitration Rules and Procedures."
It's also important to note that Brooks' name was removed from the petition AEW and Khan filed, as he is no longer affiliated with the company. They contend that this case concerns Nemeth's contractual agreements. The company and its lead executive are asking the federal court to enforce the arbitration clause, direct him to pursue his claims in arbitration, and require Nemeth to pay the attorneys' fees that AEW is incurring by bringing this petition to court. Nemeth and his attorney have not commented on the matter as of this report. Not only were AEW, Khan, and Brooks named in Nemeth's lawsuit, but also 20 John Does who have yet to be identified.