Rene Dupree Sues WWE Over Network Royalties
Former tag team champion leads class-action lawsuit against company.
According to an article in The Hollywood Reporter, former WWE Tag Team Champion Rene Dupree filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of himself and others against the company on Wednesday.
The suit alleges that talent hasn't been properly compensated for revenues they've generated for the WWE Network.
The suit cites a particular item in the booking contract Dupree signed in 2003, which guaranteed him 25% of net receipts for licensed products including videotapes, DVDs, and "other technology, including technology not yet created." As PWInsider pointed out, Jesse Ventura filed a suit in 1991 regarding royalties for videotapes, and he won more than $800,000 in a jury decision. That case could potentially have a bearing on Dupree's suit.
Unlike the Ventura case, this suit could have the widest-reaching of implications. Dupree is seeking restitution not only for himself, but for any wrestlers who signed booking contracts with WWE (or any of the companies whose video libraries they own) since 1980. A decision in favor of the talent could cost WWE untold millions of dollars.
WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt seemed unconcerned with the prospect of a ruling in Dupree's favor, alluding to a 2011 contract Dupree signed which "destroys his ability" to file such claims. He also likened the case to a decision last year, where an appellate court ruled that ESPN did not have to pay Steve "Wild Thing" Ray for airing his old matches.