AEW and its President, Tony Khan, have taken legal action to move their dispute with wrestler Ryan Nemeth out of the public court system. On Friday, they filed a petition in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, requesting that Nemeth be compelled to resolve the matter through arbitration.
Brandon Thurston was the first to report the filing, writing the following via POST Wrestling:
“In the petition, AEW and Khan contend that Nemeth’s claims should be adjudicated through private arbitration rather than in public in court. The petition states that Nemeth signed three contracts with the wrestling company: dated March 1, 2021; January 17, 2022; and March 1, 2023. Each contract, the petitioners state, contains identical arbitration clauses that purport to mandate that disputes be resolved in Duval County, Florida, under JAMS, Inc. arbitration rules.
AEW and Khan argue that Nemeth has ‘ignored his contractual obligations and binding authority requiring arbitration’ by filing a lawsuit in Los Angeles County. 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 for the attorneys’ fees that AEW is incurring by bringing this petition to court.”
This latest development underscores AEW’s effort to keep contractual disputes out of the courtroom and within the arbitration framework outlined in its agreements with talent.
