The legal battle between Ryan Nemeth and AEW continues to develop, with new filings and arguments surfacing in court this week.
On June 5, AEW filed a petition in the U.S. District Court in the Middle District of Florida seeking to compel Nemeth to move the dispute into private arbitration. The company is asking that the matter be handled through a JAMS administrative office nearest Duval County, Florida, and ultimately adjudicated under Florida law.
According to John Pollock of POST Wrestling, AEW is also alleging that Nemeth misrepresented and misled the company through his conduct tied to a voluntary dismissal of his February 2025 lawsuit. AEW claims that dismissal came with an agreement to resolve the matter through private arbitration instead of public litigation.
In a further procedural move, AEW has since dismissed its own petition in federal court while continuing to pursue arbitration as the preferred route to resolve the dispute.
JAMS, the private dispute resolution organization designated in AEW’s contractual language, is headquartered in Irvine, California and operates 29 locations worldwide. It is commonly used to handle arbitration cases outside of the court system.
AEW argues that Nemeth has since filed a separate demand for arbitration through a JAMS office in Orange County, California, and included what the company describes as “an assortment of unsupported claims under the California Labor Code.” AEW’s position is that California labor law does not apply in this case because Nemeth was classified as an independent contractor rather than an employee.
The arbitration process has also raised questions over venue selection. Both sides were presented with a list of ten potential arbitrators, with six based in California, three in Florida, and one in New York. AEW contends that Nemeth’s preference for California effectively gives him an advantage, noting the higher number of available arbitrators in that state compared to Florida.
In a separate filing submitted Tuesday, AEW and Tony Khan are also attempting to seal confidential materials connected to three independent contractor agreements Nemeth signed between 2021 and 2023. The company argues the documents contain “sensitive, confidential and proprietary information belonging to the Petitioners, including but not limited to information related to its business practices, its internal economic structures, compensation agreements, and intellectual property.”
Nemeth originally filed his lawsuit in February 2025 against Tony Khan, AEW, and CM Punk, alleging assault, breach of contract, breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and intentional interference with prospective advantage.
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