UPDATED: Judge Dismisses MLW’s Lawsuit Against WWE, Court Bauer Comments

UPDATE: MLW owner Court Bauer has issued a statement following the dismissal of the company’s lawsuit against WWE. Bauer issued a statement to PWInsider, noting that they are in the process of amending the suit.

Bauer said:

“Our legal team is already at work on amending the complaint. We have every intention to continue pursuing our case against WWE.”

ORIGINAL: MLW has lost their lawsuit against WWE, with the judge in the case dismissing the suit on Monday. PWInsider reports that Judge Edward J. Davila dismissed the lawsuit in a nine-page ruling on Monday in U.S. District Court, California Northern District (San Jose).

MLW filed the lawsuit in January of 2022 alleging intentional interference with contractual relations, intentional interference with prospective economic relations, a violation of the Sherman Antitrust act and more. The lawsuit alleged that WWE interfered in their negotiations with FOX-owned Tubi, resulting in the deal dying out, and also interfered in VICE TV’s negotiations with the company.

WWE filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit in March, which was finally ruled on. Davila said that out of the claims made in the suit, the only one the court has “original subject matter jurisdiction” over is the allegation that WWE violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Act, and that he was dismissing that claim “based on the insufficiency of the relevant market allegations.” Essentially, the judge has ruled that MLW did not make a sufficient argument to back up their claims of a relevant antitrust product market.

Davila further noted that “MLW’s allegations regarding monopoly power and antitrust injury, as currently pled, are unlikely to withstand a motion to dismiss for many of the reasons outlined in WWE’s Motion.”

The ruling went on to note that because the Sherman Act claim is dismissed, it “lacks subject matter jurisdiction over MLW’s remaining claims under California law for intentional interference with contractual relations, intentional interference with prospective economic relations, and violation of the UCL.”

The judge said that “additional allegations may cure the deficiencies outlined above and in WWE’s Motion” and that the court is granting MLW leave to amend, though any such amendment must be filed within 21 days.