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WWE, Hart Widow Settle Lawsuit Over Use of Deceased Wrestler's Likeness
Author: Scarinci Hollenbeck, LLC
Date: April 5, 2013
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World Wrestling Entertainment and the widow of deceased WWE Champion Owen Hart have reached a settlement nearly 14 years after the wrestler’s death.
Martha Hart and WWE confirmed that they reached a settlement agreement after Hart brought a lawsuit against the company in June 2010. Hart sued the company for violating a sports law contract that prohibited it from using the wrestler’s name and image and also for failing to pay royalties to his estate and the two children he left behind. She notes that the company used his likeness in a number of DVDs that were released after his death.
Hart passed away in 1999 during the WWE’s Over the Edge Pay-Per-View event after the harness that was lowering him into the arena snapped suddenly and he fell to the ground. He was 34 when he passed away. Martha Hart received an $18 million settlement from WWE after she sued in 2000 for the company’s role in the tragic accident.
The two parties declined to comment on the specific details of the settlement agreement.
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WWE, Hart Widow Settle Lawsuit Over Use of Deceased Wrestler's Likeness
Author: Scarinci Hollenbeck, LLC
World Wrestling Entertainment and the widow of deceased WWE Champion Owen Hart have reached a settlement nearly 14 years after the wrestler’s death.
Martha Hart and WWE confirmed that they reached a settlement agreement after Hart brought a lawsuit against the company in June 2010. Hart sued the company for violating a sports law contract that prohibited it from using the wrestler’s name and image and also for failing to pay royalties to his estate and the two children he left behind. She notes that the company used his likeness in a number of DVDs that were released after his death.
Hart passed away in 1999 during the WWE’s Over the Edge Pay-Per-View event after the harness that was lowering him into the arena snapped suddenly and he fell to the ground. He was 34 when he passed away. Martha Hart received an $18 million settlement from WWE after she sued in 2000 for the company’s role in the tragic accident.
The two parties declined to comment on the specific details of the settlement agreement.