Last August, Kevin Kelly, Brandon, and Brent Tate filed a lawsuit against Tony Khan, All Elite Wrestling, and Ian Riccaboni. They alleged that the company had misclassified its wrestlers as independent contractors. Kelly also alleged that AEW had breached his contract by firing him. Kelly seeks compensation from All Elite Wrestling.
On Thursday, Mia R. Perez, a federal judge in Pennsylvania, ruled to move the lawsuit to a federal court in Florida, Brandon Thurston reported.
Perez stated the following:
“The forum selection clauses are standard within the professional wrestling industry, and the contracts were primarily negotiated, executed, and administered from Jacksonville, Florida. Thus, enforcement in Florida would not be so seriously inconvenient as to be unreasonable. Considering the convenience of the parties and the interest of justice, the balance favors transfer to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.”
Stephen P. New, attorney for plaintiffs, issued the following statement:
“We respect the judge’s decision and look forward to litigating the issues in Florida.”