WWE’s Lawsuit Involving The Big Show Sees Setback in Case

The United States District Court in Arizona has rejected a petition issued by thee WWE to transfer the lawsuit filed by former producer Andrew Green against the company (and The Big Show) to a federal court. The WWE was arguing that the lawsuit falls under federal law because the allegations involved a video that was uploaded onto the company’s website.

The judge stated that the charges actually center around “freedom from ridicule and emotional distress,” which are “qualitatively different from copyright rights.” The judge also noted that “this additional element of emotional harm, due not to unauthorized use but widespread humiliation, changes the nature of the action from a copyright claim to a separate state-law tort claim.”

Green is seeking damages for “assault and negligence” after accusing The Big Show Paul Wight of striking him while trying to conduct an interview following the 2013 Royal Rumble, which aired on January 27th. Green claims that he was asked to interview Wight (Big Show) for WWE.com, and Wight refused until Green mentioned that former WWE Senior VP of Creative and Development Eric Pankowski was the one that actually wanted the interview. Wight then became angry, using obscene language, and shot the interview three times.