Three former talents from All Elite Wrestling (AEW) have filed a lawsuit against the professional wrestling company, AEW CEO Tony Khan, and others, according to The Wrestling News, a division of Arcadian Vanguard.
The lawsuit was reportedly filed by Kevin Kelly, Brandon Tate and Brent Tate back on August 30th and names AEW, Tony Khan, ROH and Ian Riccaboni as defendants.
The Tates, who are known as the The Boys and were associated with Dalton Castle in AEW, along Kelly were all terminated earlier this year by the company.
According to Wrestling News, the lawsuit was filed “in the Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas by attorneys Stephen P. New & Benjamin Baer.”
The lawsuit seeks to “void the arbitration clause of their contracts”, while also “requesting the court certify a class-action suit against AEW over claims that the company is misclassifying its wrestling talent as independent contractors, rather than company employees”.
Khan had claimed that The Boys had no-showed multiple events following their termination, which The Boys have denied and that claim is now “at the center of the defamation allegation against Khan”.
Kelly, real name Kevin Foote, is “seeking monetary damages claiming, among other things, that AEW breached his contract, and has interfered with ability to find work elsewhere” and is also seeking monetary damages from Ian Riccaboni, claiming Riccaboni “defamed him by way of social media after accusing him of being a member of QAnon”.
Attorney Stephen P. New released the following statement that was shared on social media: “I applaud the bravery of these Plaintiffs in bringing this long-overdue action, challenging the mis-classification of pro-wrestlers as independent contractors instead of employees. We know we are in for a long, hard fight, but in the end, I believe justice always prevails.”
Following the release of the tweet, New posted: “How fitting and appropriate that on Labor Day weekend a lawsuit is filed seeking to correct, among other things, the abhorrent practice of misclassification of pro wrestlers as independent contractors and not employees. All AEW wrestlers are now members of this putative class.”
