WWE rejects Benoit estate's proposed settlement

[andrew8798]

WWE rejects Benoit estate's proposed settlement

By JOHN HOLLIS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 12/16/07

The World Wrestling Entertainment has rejected a deal offered by the estate of dead wrestler Chris Benoit, setting the stage for a potentially nasty and protracted legal battle.

The WWE balked at paying $2 million to Benoit's two surviving children from a previous marriage as "recognition of their father's contributions to the company," said Cary Ichter, the Atlanta-based attorney, who represents Michael Benoit, the father of the dead wrestler.

Michael Benoit, overseeing his son's estate, has yet to sue the Connecticut-based WWE, but that appears to be just a formality.

Chris Benoit murdered his wife Nancy and Daniel, their 7-year-old son, before taking his own life at the family's Fayetteville home in late June.

A toxicology report showed Benoit had extremely elevated levels of testosterone in his body.

There is no evidence, however, the testosterone played any role in the tragedy, said Dr. Kris Sperry, Georgia's chief medical examiner.

Under the proposed settlement , the $2 million would have gone to the children of Chris Benoit's previous marriage to Martina Benoit of Edmonton, Canada.

In exchange, the Benoit estate would have renounced any future claims against the WWE.

Neither WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt nor Susan Zwaenepoel, the Edmonton-based attorney for Chris Benoit's children, David and Megan Benoit, returned calls seeking comment.

The WWE has adamantly insisted that it had absolutely nothing to do with the Benoit tragedy.

Michael Benoit, however, believes otherwise after producing medical experts in September who detailed the many concussions Chris Benoit suffered over the years while performing. Michael Benoit alleges the WWE knew of the head injuries, but failed to provide treatment to any of their performers or much-needed rest.

"Had the WWE taken the slightest interest in its wrestlers — before it became the object of the interest of district attorneys and Congress — there is little doubt that Chris Benoit and his family would still be with us today," Ichter said.

Ichter, in the meantime, continues to take aim at the WWE in another public forum as a member of the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission.

Better known as the state boxing commission, the governing body regulates the state's boxing and mixed martial arts, as well as ticket brokers.

Professional wrestling also falls under the group's purview, but the WWE had been exempt thanks to a 2005 statute that excluded groups with total assets of more than $25 million.

Ichter hopes to close that loophole and make WWE wrestlers subject to drug testing and other regulations just like performers from other sports that compete in Georgia.

The Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission will discuss the matter when it next meets on Tuesday morning.

[EvilMasterBetty, Esq.]

Dear WWE,

Settle out of court. Save face. $2M is a whole lot less than you'll probably have to pay if it goes to court, not to mention the terrible publicity that will follow.

[a1TheEnigma1a]

f***in' obnoxious and absurd.

[The In-Crowd]

Dont see how this is WWE's fault easy court win for them

[CrazySting]

evilmasterbetty said:

Dear WWE,

Settle out of court. Save face. $2M is a whole lot less than you'll probably have to pay if it goes to court, not to mention the terrible publicity that will follow.

That would be them admitting they're partly to blame.

Michael Jackson didn't exactly save face when he paid off that kid in 1996 did he?

[Square]

Dear the Beniots,
Im really REALLY sorry to say, but Chris was a muderer NOT the WWE. Vince McMahon or Jogn Cena didnt kill Nancy and Daniel, Chris did. So please GIVE UP THIS BULLCRAP LAW SUIT, IT JUST MAKES YOU LOOK PATHETIC AND THE AMERICAN LAW SYSTEM LIKE IDIOTS!

From, Square

[I'm The Cool One]

this is rediculous.
why should WWE have to pay a goddamn penny to ANYONE?
i'm glad they're fighting it... it's just a couple of money-grubbing people out to squeeze whatever money they can from their P.O.S. dead dad... and it's sickening.

let's say i work for mcdonalds. i bust my ass there for years, and even end up as the general manager of a mcdonalds... then i lose my effin mind and kill myself and my family.
does my family get to sue mcdonalds? NO. it's a rediculous idea and should be an easy win for WWE

[Desi]

When it comes down to money, everybody involved is going to look bad, one way or another. This doesn't surprise me at all.

[CrazySting]

Benoit left assets of almost $1 million. I think his kids will be taken care of even if WWE don't give them money.

I feel bad for Michael Benoit, but in court he wouldn't stand a chance. Heck, WWE gave Chris time off when he asked, treated him with respect by all accounts, and, compared to wcw, where very good employers.

And on that subject, if your going to sue wwe, why not wcw, ecw or new Japan? He was with wwe less than a third of his career.

[EvilMasterBetty, Esq.]

Well, the argument could be made that WWE encouraged and/or turned a blind eye to Benoit's lifestyle and therefore, at least in part, could be negligent.

Not saying their 100%, but some courts allow you to collect as long as they're at least 51%.

[CrazySting]

evilmasterbetty said:

Well, the argument could be made that WWE encouraged and/or turned a blind eye to Benoit's lifestyle and therefore, at least in part, could be negligent.

Not saying their 100%, but some courts allow you to collect as long as they're at least 51%.

Well, if you mean the steroids they could never prove roid rage (the whole incident smacks of rationality: drugging Daniel, lying to co workers).

As for the other stuff: everyone says he was behaving normally, so it's not like he was going around saying he felt like killing people and wwe ignored it.

To prove WWE were responsible, you would need a definite reason why it happened, and since no one has that there's no way to prove it.

[amsiraK]

withteeth said:

this is rediculous.
why should WWE have to pay a goddamn penny to ANYONE?
i'm glad they're fighting it... it's just a couple of money-grubbing people out to squeeze whatever money they can from their P.O.S. dead dad... and it's sickening.

let's say i work for mcdonalds. i bust my ass there for years, and even end up as the general manager of a mcdonalds... then i lose my effin mind and kill myself and my family.
does my family get to sue mcdonalds? NO. it's a rediculous idea and should be an easy win for WWE

If you lose your mind as a direct result of working the fryer and your boss knowing and not caring, then yes.

[I'm The Cool One]

evilmasterbetty said:

Well, the argument could be made that WWE encouraged and/or turned a blind eye to Benoit's lifestyle and therefore, at least in part, could be negligent.

Not saying their 100%, but some courts allow you to collect as long as they're at least 51%.

yet there was no encouragment from the WWE. thats the problem with that statement, and i'm pretty sure it would get thrown out of court with the quick-fast.

and how can you turn a blind eye to something that nobody knows?

WWE had nothing to do with this. benoit made a lifestyle choice, and it effed him up. thats his fault.

[Hiroshi Hase]

karisma888 said:

withteeth said:

this is rediculous.
why should WWE have to pay a goddamn penny to ANYONE?
i'm glad they're fighting it... it's just a couple of money-grubbing people out to squeeze whatever money they can from their P.O.S. dead dad... and it's sickening.

let's say i work for mcdonalds. i bust my ass there for years, and even end up as the general manager of a mcdonalds... then i lose my effin mind and kill myself and my family.
does my family get to sue mcdonalds? NO. it's a rediculous idea and should be an easy win for WWE

If you lose your mind as a direct result of working the fryer and your boss knowing and not caring, then yes.

How do we know Vince didn't care? No one came up to him and said anything about it. Most of the people that were close to Benoit didn't even know how he was.

[I'm The Cool One]

karisma888 said:

withteeth said:

this is rediculous.
why should WWE have to pay a goddamn penny to ANYONE?
i'm glad they're fighting it... it's just a couple of money-grubbing people out to squeeze whatever money they can from their P.O.S. dead dad... and it's sickening.

let's say i work for mcdonalds. i bust my ass there for years, and even end up as the general manager of a mcdonalds... then i lose my effin mind and kill myself and my family.
does my family get to sue mcdonalds? NO. it's a rediculous idea and should be an easy win for WWE

If you lose your mind as a direct result of working the fryer and your boss knowing and not caring, then yes.

but did benoit's boss know and not care?
just hearing from benoit's friends, they had no clue that there was something wrong... how was his boss supposed to know, when his closest friends and family had no clue?

[I'm The Cool One]

yjc1019 said:

karisma888 said:

If you lose your mind as a direct result of working the fryer and your boss knowing and not caring, then yes.

How do we know Vince didn't care? No one came up to him and said anything about it. Most of the people that were close to Benoit didn't even know how he was.

or what he said, lol

[amsiraK]

withteeth said:

karisma888 said:

If you lose your mind as a direct result of working the fryer and your boss knowing and not caring, then yes.

but did benoit's boss know and not care?
just hearing from benoit's friends, they had no clue that there was something wrong... how was his boss supposed to know, when his closest friends and family had no clue?

They knew about the concussions. Vince is great for caring after the fact, but during he tends to ignore things like that for whipping the workhorses harder.

And your sig is so oddly intriguing that I love it.

[EvilMasterBetty, Esq.]

But the thing is we don't know either. We only know what's been said in public. Who knows what's not been said.

I'm not arguing WWE is liable, I'm saying there can be a case. Obviously, it turns on whether Benoit's estate could find evidence WWE was aware of Benoit's case.

[Hiroshi Hase]

karisma888 said:

withteeth said:

but did benoit's boss know and not care?
just hearing from benoit's friends, they had no clue that there was something wrong... how was his boss supposed to know, when his closest friends and family had no clue?

They knew about the concussions. Vince is great for caring after the fact, but during he tends to ignore things like that for whipping the workhorses harder.

And your sig is so oddly intriguing that I love it.

But he gave Benoit time off last year when he requested it, that doesn't sound like someone who doesn't care at all to me.

[I'm The Cool One]

karisma888 said:

withteeth said:

but did benoit's boss know and not care?
just hearing from benoit's friends, they had no clue that there was something wrong... how was his boss supposed to know, when his closest friends and family had no clue?

They knew about the concussions. Vince is great for caring after the fact, but during he tends to ignore things like that for whipping the workhorses harder.

And your sig is so oddly intriguing that I love it.

but were they aware of the post concussion disorder that could occur? i mean, as far as i know, this is the first time a pro wrestler has gone off the handle like this... and are we even sure that the problem was concussions?

theres so much being held back and not released to the publice that its so hard to make a judgement call from where we stand. i just dont see how the company should be held responsible for the worker's decision.

and thanks