According to POST Wrestling, Florida Federal Judge Harvey E. Schlesinger in Florida has ordered former AEW broadcaster Kevin Kelly (real name Kevin Foote), and former AEW talents Brandon Tate and Brent Tate to resolve their claims against AEW through private arbitration.
The decision ruled by Judge Schlesinger is a huge victory for AEW, who had requested that the court to uphold the arbitration clauses in the plaintiffs’ talent contracts.
POST Wrestling also notes that the order issued on Wednesday in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida granted AEW’s motion to compel arbitration, but denied the AEW’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Instead of dismissing the case, Judge Schlesinger ordered that the lawsuit be “administratively closed,” essentially making the case inactive while arbitration proceeds. Furthermore, it was said that the plaintiffs will be required to update the court on the status of arbitration every 90 days going forward. Those updates may appear on the public docket, but may not contain much information as to what takes place between the parties involved.
The Tate Twins and Kevin Kelly sued AEW, Tony Khan, and ROH broadcaster Ian Riccaboni in August 2024.
Kelly and the Tate Twins allege breach of contract, defamation, and additional claims after they all departed AEW. The Tates noted comments by Tony Khan made about them during a media press conference, saying that they no-showed events, has harmed their reputation.
Kelly alleges that Riccaboni framed him by making him out to be a member of the far-right, conspiracy theory movement QAnon, after Kelly displayed his support on social media for the 2023 ‘Sound of Freedom’ movie about human trafficking.