Joey Ryan Files Another Defamation Lawsuit, This One Against ROH Alumnus

Joey Ryan’s list of defamation lawsuits is continuing to rise as he’s filed his seventh such suit, this tme against a former ROH wrestler. PWInsider reports that Ryan has filed a defamation suit against Pelle Tsichlis, who worked in ROH as Pelle Primeau. The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

The lawsuit states that Tsichlis posted to social media and made statements on Twitch about the allegations of sexual assault made against Ryan. Tsichlis allegedly called on people inside the wrestling world, including promotions and people in the media, to “publicly commit” against Meehan. He also asked promotions to no longer book Ryan on their shows. Ryan claims the statements have cost him $500 per month from Cameo, $1,000 per month in merchandising, $1,000 per month from his Twitch account, $1,500 a month from Bar Wrestling promotion not getting revenue from streaming and distribution, $2,000 month from Bar Wrestling shows, $3,000 per month from Ryan’s Patreon, and $8,000-$10,000 per month in lost bookings. He also alleges that he has lost followers on social media where he was once on pace to add 1,000 new followers per month.

Ryan claims 26 statements that Tsichlis made since the #SpeakingOut movement that are libelous, present him in a false light, intentionally interfere with his income, and intentionally inflicted emotional distress. Ryan claims Tsichlis did so because Ryan slept with his partner when Ryan wasn’t aware they were together. According to the lawsuit, Tsichlis’ first statement in June was:

“You actively pursued my fiance and were instrumental in helping ruin my life. You are the lowest form of human scum on the face of the earth. You’re going to burn. Your time is up. And you [expletive deleted] deserve it.”

Ryan also claims that Tsichlis posted a false story on June 20th in which he said that a friend of his was party to sexual advances from Ryan. The tweet included screenshots of texts between Tsichlis and the partner in which the woman said she met up with Ryan on a Tinder date and that:

“Like when I first got my apartment and he kept trying to come to my house and I had him kicked out of a bar because he kept touching my legs and trying to go up my skirt! …I’m SO glad I got him kicked out. It sounded so familiar like I know this person. Yup. [Expletive deleted] Tinder. 2014? 2015? Maybe. He said he was traveling and I was like okay whatever, let’s go out for drinks and if [sic] course, sweeney’s cause it was close and if I need someone kicked out they’re gone and flagged. …That’s terrifying. He was pushy af [as [expletive deleted] and kept touching me and making me feel so weird.”

Ryan alleges that he never went on a date with the woman and has never used Tinder, alleging that the Tsichlis “fabricated the messages with the unidentified woman in order to be a part of the #SpeakingOut movement, inter alia, in order to stay connected to the professional wrestling community.”

He also notes that Tsichlis made a 37 minute-long YouTube video in which he further made the statements while “visibly angry” and claimed Ryan does “not [take] no for an answer” in regard to sexual encounters, and that Ryan “used power and influence” to assault women.

Ryan is asking for $200,000 per claim in economic damages (for $1.6 million total) or the amount lost as a result of Tsichlis’ conduct “multiplied by the months from June 21, 2020 to the date of the award of damages”, $5 million in non-economic damages, compensation for Ryan’s legal fees, and to “award punitive and exemplary damages against defendant and in favor of Plaintiff in the sum of $10,000,000.00 by reason of defendants’, and each of them, malice, hatred, ill-will, despicable and intentional acts” as well as “such additional and further relief as the Court deems just and proper.” He is also asking for a permanent injunction preventing Tsichlis from making further defamatory statements and ordering him to retract the statements, and direct places that published the statements to delete them.

He is also asking that the court declare statements that he assaulted women, committed sexual battery on women, and that women were forced by him to engage in sexual acts without their consent as false and defamatory. He has requested a jury trial.