Former WWE Superstar Files Lawsuit Against the Company Over WWE Network and Netflix Royalties

– The Hollywood Reporter reports that former WWE Superstar Rene Dupree has filed a class-action lawsuit against WWE, alleging he and others have not seen any royalties from the WWE Network or WWE videos that have been added to Netflix.

The suit was filed on Wednesday in Connecticut federal court. Dupree says he signed a “booking contract” in 2003 that saw WWE take ownership of his nickname, personality, character, costumes, props, gimmicks, gestures, routines and themes. Dupree says WWE agreed to pay 25% of net receipts for most licensed products and video use while some like a WrestleMania box set had a 5% share.

The contract he had mentions WWE will pay for his likeness on “other technology and/or technology not yet created” and Dupree says the WWE Network falls under that category.

The class-action suit is aimed at representing wrestlers with booking contracts for WWE and other wrestling groups between 1980 and the present. The plaintiffs are seeking millions of dollars in alleged damages. Their lawyers are Brenden Leydon and Clinton Krislov.

WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt told The Hollywood Reporter that Dupree signed a contract in 2011 that prevented him from bringing claims like this. McDevitt did not elaborate due to confidentiality but said he informed Dupree’s lawyer of this on Wednesday night. McDevitt said the response he received indicated Dupree’s lawyers did not know about the 2011 contract he signed.

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