WWE Trying To Get Verdict Thrown Out From Randy Orton Tattoo Lawsuit Trial

Randy Orton is currently sidelined due to an injury he sustained back in May. The Apex Predator has hopes that he will return to the wrestling ring soon. While he heals, his tattoos continue to make headlines as they are the focus of an ongoing trial.

The case was presented before The U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois. Judge Staci M. Yandle, presides the trial in the lawsuit tattoo artist Catherine Alexander has filed against World Wrestling Entertainment. Take-Two Interactive Software, 2K Games, Inc., 2K Sports, Inc., Visual Concepts Entertainment, Yuke’s Co., Ltd., and Yuke’s LA Inc. are also actively engaging in the trial.

As we previously reported, the verdict was announced, and it wasn’t in favor of the defendants including WWE. The jury in the trial for the lawsuit Catherine Alexander brought forward officially ruled in favor of Alexander. It took the jury all of three hours and 26 minutes to come to their decision.

It appears that WWE and others involved in the case are actively working to get the verdict thrown out. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE and 2K are appealing even though the jury only gave Catherine Alexander, Orton’s tattoo artist, $3,750 after the case went to trial.

“Even though the jury awarded Catherine Alexander, the tattoo artist of Orton, only $3,750 after taking the case to trial, the WWE and 2K are appealing. The issue is by ruling in favor of Alexander, even with the next to nothing award, it did open the door to tattoo artists that work on wrestlers suing for some money if the wrestlers are in a video game or marketed in other ways.”

“They are seeking a new trial in U.S. District court trying to get the verdict thrown out and for a new trial. They suit claims it should be a judge, and not a jury, that rules on the case. Alexander had gotten trademarked the tattoo drawing she had done on Orton, and claimed it as her intellectual property that WWE and 2K were using in the video game. They are arguing that the design on Orton’s body is part of his body and thus they believe Alexander should not have been allowed to trademark a part of Orton’s body, even if she drew it.”

It should be noted, as they must deal with people of all backgrounds, these trials damage the company’s reputation and put it under pressure. Meanwhile, Orton last appeared on WWE TV during the May 20, 2022 episode of SmackDown. Orton and Matt Riddle lost the Raw Tag Team Championship to The Usos that night. Stay tuned to Ringside News for more.

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