Earlier this year MLW filed a lawsuit against WWE after alleging that executives in WWE attempted to meddle in business deals, including what would have been a streaming deal for MLW that ended up falling apart. WWE was served with the lawsuit officially on January 14th, and now a new report by Brandon Thurston reveals WWE has filed a motion today to dismiss MLW’s lawsuit in California. In the motion, WWE argued that “MLW’s claim for intentional interference with contractual relations is unsupported by factual allegations, and what allegations MLW pleads are entirely implausible.”
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WWE is looking to get it dismissed in California, and you can read the summary of the court filing below.
“NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION TO DISMISS COMPLAINT
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that on September 29. 2022. or as soon thereafter as this matter may be heard, either in Courtroom 4 of this Court, located at 280 South 1st Street, San Jose. California 95113, or by videoconference or teleconference (if the Court prefers), Defendant World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE”) will and hereby does move the Court for an order granting Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff MLW Media LLC’s (“MLW”) Complaint with prejudice. The grounds for dismissal are as follows:
First, WWE moves pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) to dismiss MLW’. federal antitrust claim because MW failed to plausibly plead (1) a facially sustainable relevant market, (2) monopoly power or anticompetitive conduct, or (3) antitrust injury. WWE further moves to dismiss MLW’s remaining state law claims pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1) because the Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction over them if the federal antitrust claim is dismissed.
Second, WWE moves pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(bY6) to dismiss all state law claims should this Court exercises jurisdiction over them. MLW’s claim for intentional interference with contractual relations is unsupported by factual allegations, and what allegations MW pleads are entirely implausible. MLW’s claim for intentional interference with prospective economic advantage fails because MLW does not allege that WWE knew about MLW’s negotiations to sell a third party first-run programming, nor does MW plausibly allege that WWE’s alleged single communication with the third party influenced its decision not to purchase
MLW’s content. Finally, MLW’s unfair competition claim fails because (1) it is not tethered to some other viable antitrust or tort claim, and (2) MW lacks Article III and statutory standing to assert such a claim.
Finally, WWE moves pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(5) to dismiss
MLW’s complaint for lack of personal jurisdiction because neither party is a resident of California, no harm specific to California is alleged, and none of the alleged misconduct took place in California.”
H/T Fightful
