Joey Ryan was accused by several women of misconduct during the #SpeakingOut movement and his career took a huge turn following the news. Ryan’s Bar Wrestling closed down, he was released from Impact Wrestling, and many promoters voiced assurances to their fans they would no longer bring Ryan into their shows. With Joey Ryan openly admitting he was able to make a comfortable living primarily as an independent wrestler, this was a giant hit to his life.
After a break from social media, Ryan emerged and tried to defend himself in the court of public opinion, which didn’t go well. Following that came a series of lawsuits against Impact Wrestling, three women who made serious accusations, and former ROH wrestler Pelle Tsichlis, known as Pelle Primeau.
Ryan filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Tsichlis alleging libel and looking to reclaim damages, and Tsichilis has responded with a petition for dismissal according to a new report from Heel By Nature.
Ryan alleges that the posts the former ROH star made were libelous and portray Ryan in a negative light, and that the statements caused financial and personal hardship, including loss from various revenue streams like Twitch, Cameo, Patreon, and others. The lawsuit was filed in California, as Ryan claims his damages suffered there and Tsichlis should defend himself there. In the response from Tsichlis’ lawyer, he responds his alleged posts were on a worldwide forum and should not be subject to personal jurisdiction in California.
“Meehan suffered damages in California, and Tsichlis should defend himself in California. The problem is that the Complaint does not allege that Tsichlis has minimum contacts with the state of California and is subject to specific personal jurisdiction in this Court.”
“None of the alleged statements set forth in the Complaint were directed or aimed by him to the state of California; rather the alleged statements were available for viewing worldwide.”
“Meehan’s Complaint sets forth multiple redundant claims, both intentional and negligent, seeking an exorbitant amount of damages for alleged defamatory statements made by Tsichlis throughout the world. Meehan’s Complaint has not set forth sufficient allegations to establish that this Court has personal jurisdiction over Tsichlis. In fact, taking Meehan’s allegations to their illogical conclusion, Meehan could bring suit against Tsichlis anywhere in the world. Perhaps he seeks to establish a new jurisdictional doctrine that confers worldwide personal jurisdiction for dissemination of opinions over the world-wide-web? Fortunately, constitutional restraints prohibit this doctrine.”
Tsichlis has a hearing scheduled for 12/21 in Los Angeles to dismiss the case.
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