The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has dismissed an appeal by former WWE wrestlers claiming the company did not protect them from head injuries and concussions that could have resulted in CTE or mental and physical disabilities.
The decision upholds a decision made two years ago in Connecticut that the lawsuit was frivolous or filed after the statute of limitations expired. It also stated WWE could not have known about the consequences of concussions or head injuries causing CTE at the time the performers worked for the company.
The Second Circuit court also dismissed additional related lawsuits against WWE because they were filed too late. The court also dismissed lawyer Konstantine Kyros’ appeal of sanctions imposed by U.S. District judge Vanessa Bryant. In 2018, she ruled Kyros must pay WWE’s legal fees for the case and said he repeatedly failed to comply with court rules and orders.
Kyros made a statement to the Associated Press after the decision was handed down:
“[The ruling was] utterly devoid of any original reasoning or engagement with the legal issues raised in the wrestlers’ appeal. In its conclusory assertions, the injured wrestlers find no justice having been literally denied a day in court. Per this mandate, wrestlers have no rights, no rights to bring a lawsuit, no rights to help from WWE for CTE & head injuries, no rights as misclassified employees, no rights to a jury, and ironically no right to even appeal!”