Plagiarism Lawsuit Against WWE and AEW Dismissed

The plagiarism lawsuit filed against WWE and AEW has been dismissed, according to a new report. As you may recall, Anthony Duane Wilson filed a lawsuit back in August of 2023 accusing both companies of plagiarizing him. That lawsuit had been initially dismissed in November without prejudice because neither AEW nor WWE had been served within 90 days of its filing, but Wilson refiled the case in January. PWInsider reports that the judge in the case officially dismissed the suits again on October 22nd.

Wilson had alleged in the lawsuit that AEW and WWE committed “plagiarism, market damages, product damages, personal damages and financial damages.” He had asked that it be put on hold after he was incarcerated in late March, but AEW and WWE had both requested its dismissal.

PWInsider notes that in AEW’s case, the lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice in full, which means that it cannot be refiled against them. In WWE’s case, the suit was dismissed “for lack of personal jurisdiction” because the court lacked jurisdiction over WWE and Wilson failed to prove that anything he was alleging put that WWE — which is a Delaware-based entity doing business in Connecticut — would fall under Ohio’s jurisdiction. It is possible that Wilson could bring that lawsuit again against WWE in the correct jurisdiction.