Defamation Suit for Former Professional Wrestler

Obtained a complete victory for former professional wrestler Phillip Jack Brooks, known as “CM Punk,” in a lawsuit brought by World Wrestling Entertainment ringside doctor Christopher Amann. The jury concluded that Brooks – now a UFC fighter – had not defamed Amman in remarks made during a 2014 interview on a popular wrestling podcast.

Amann sued Brooks and fellow WWE wrestler Scott Colton, known as “Colt Cabana,” in 2015 claiming that his reputation was damaged when Punk criticized his medical competence while being interviewed on the podcast “The Art of Wrestling,” hosted by Cabana. Punk spoke about his medical issues and treatments on the podcast, particularly about indiscriminate antibiotic use, a staph infection on his back that he said was dismissed by Amann, and a concussion suffered at the 2014 Royal Rumble match. The doctor was seeking nearly $8 million (one dollar per each podcast stream on each of two separate claims) and additional punitive damages.