AEW, Tony Khan Seek To Have Ryan Nemeth Lawsuit Moved To Arbitration

AEW and Tony Khan have filed a petition to have Ryan Nemeth’s lawsuit against them moved to private arbitration. As reported, Nemeth filed suit against AEW, Tony Khan and CM Punk on February 14th alleging assault, breach of contract, breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and intentional interference with prospective advantage. Brandon Thurston reports for POST Wrestling that AEW and Khan filed a petition on Friday in U.S. District Court in the Middle District of Florida asking the judge to compel Nemeth into arbitration.

AEW and Khan argue that the claims alleged by Nemeth could be handled through private arbitration rather as opposed to in public court and note that Nemeth signed three contracts — in 2021, 2022, and 2023 — which all contain arbitration clauses mandating that disputes are to be handled in Duval County, Florida, under JAMS, Inc. arbitration rules.

The two parties argue that Nemeth “ignored his contractual obligations and binding authority requiring arbitration” by filing the lawsuit in Los Angeles County and ask the court to enforce the arbitration clause, compel Nemeth to pursue his claims in arbitration, and require Nemeth to pay for AEW’s attorneys’ fees by bringing the petition to court.