AEW just hit a roadblock in its fight to keep Ryan Nemeth’s wrestler contracts completely hidden from the public.
Magistrate Judge Patricia Barksdale ruled that AEW cannot fully seal Nemeth’s three wrestler contracts from public view, despite the company asking the court to keep them under wraps. Instead, AEW can refile redacted versions of the contracts along with a new motion to seal.
That means AEW may still be able to black out certain private business details, but the company does not get to bury the whole thing outright. The contracts matter because AEW is trying to force Nemeth’s dispute with AEW, Tony Khan, and CM Punk into arbitration in Florida. AEW has argued that Nemeth’s agreements require the case to be handled through private arbitration near Duval County, Florida, where AEW is headquartered.
Now AEW has a choice. If the company wants the judge to consider those contracts as part of its push for Florida arbitration, it has to put redacted versions on the docket and explain what it wants sealed. If AEW withdraws the contracts as exhibits, then the judge cannot use them when deciding whether the Nemeth dispute belongs in arbitration.
That is a big procedural wrinkle. AEW wants the contracts to help its case, but it also wants to protect what it says are sensitive business terms, including pay structure, internal company practices, and intellectual property language.
According to WrestleNomics, the judge also set a deadline. If Nemeth files his first response, AEW has 21 days after that to submit a new motion with redacted contracts. If Nemeth still does not appear in the case, AEW has until 111 days after its June 5 complaint, which lands on September 24.
The court also denied a request from the objector seeking electronic filing access, meaning any future filings from that party still have to be submitted by physical mail.
This does not decide the actual fight between Nemeth and AEW. It does not say who is right or wrong in the larger dispute. This ruling is only about public access to the contracts and how much AEW can keep sealed while trying to use those agreements in court.
For now, AEW did not get the total secrecy it wanted. If the company wants those contracts to count in its arbitration push, some version of them has to be filed publicly.
What do you think about AEW being denied a full seal on Ryan Nemeth’s contracts? Should wrestler contracts stay private, or should fans be able to see more when they become part of a court fight? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below.
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