"Nostalgia in the ring" Courtesy of [Xander Hieken via Flickr]
Entertainment
53 Wrestlers Sue WWE For Concealing the Dangers of CTE
More than 50 retired professional wrestlers are suing the WWE and its CEO, Vince McMahon, in hopes of proving the repeated head injuries they sustained while in the ring are linked to CTE, the progressive degenerative brain disease that has been commonly found in athletes who have experienced repeated concussions.
The 214-page lawsuit filed Monday in the U.S. District Court of Connecticut claims that the company is responsible for their long-term neurological damage and alleges that the WWE “fraudulently misrepresented and concealed” the dangers of these injuries.
More than 50 pro wrestlers file lawsuit against WWE over alleged head injuries: https://t.co/2nwkqxGWIa pic.twitter.com/B4NMNbZxRi
— Complex (@ComplexMag) July 19, 2016
The lawsuit states:
The WWE knows that its wrestlers are at great risk for these diseases such as CTE that can result in suicide, drug abuse and violent behavior that pose a danger to not only the athletes themselves but also their families and community, yet the WWE does nothing to warn, educate or provide treatment to them.
The lawsuit also states that the WWE and McMahon failed to provide proper medical treatment for these injuries, writing:
Instead of upholding its duty to its employees, WWE placed corporate gain over its wrestlers’ health, safety, and financial security, choosing to leave the Plaintiffs severely injured and with no recourse to treat their damaged minds and bodies. WWE refused to provide health insurance to its employees, employee benefits, and payments to Social Security.
Among the 53 former male and female wrestlers suing the WWE are wrestling hall of famers “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Ordndorff, “Road Warrior Animal” Joseph Laurinaitis, and Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka. Notably, Snuka was recently ruled mentally incompetent to stand trial for the 1983 murder of his then-girlfriend, Nancy Argentino. His defense attorneys successfully argued that Snuka suffers from dementia partially caused from repeated head trauma sustained during his career in the ring.
CTE, which is short for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, can result in loss of memory, difficulty controlling impulsive or erratic behavior, impaired judgment, behavioral disturbances including aggression and depression, difficulty with balance, and a gradual onset of dementia.
The WWE released the following statement in response to the lawsuit:
This is another ridiculous attempt by the same attorney who has previously filed class-action lawsuits against WWE, both of which have been dismissed.
Konstantine Kyros, a member legal team that brought the suit against the WWE, responded to the company’s statement saying:
It has been the studied practice of WWE through its counsel to denigrate the motives and integrity of anyone who is courageous enough to protest WWE’s self-serving choice to ignore the human toll and health crisis that its policies, fraud, and mistreatment of its workers have created.
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