Background of the Dispute
The legal saga between Nemeth and AEW began in February 2025 when Nemeth filed a complaint in the Superior Court of California. The complaint named AEW, company CEO Tony Khan, and Phil Brooks (CM Punk), alleging assault, professional retaliation, and being blacklisted from the wrestling industry. Additionally, Nemeth accused AEW of breach of contract and breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.
In April of the same year, Nemeth voluntarily dismissed his lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court, agreeing to take the matter to private arbitration. Following this, AEW dismissed its own petition in the U.S. District Court of Florida, where it had initially sought to compel Nemeth to private arbitration, referencing specific language within his AEW contract.
The Current Arbitration Standoff
Despite the mutual agreement to pursue arbitration last year, AEW and Ryan Nemeth remain at odds, specifically regarding the location and terms of the arbitration. One year later, AEW states that Nemeth has misrepresented and misled them through his conduct. The wrestling company filed a petition on June 5 in the U.S. District Court in the Middle District of Florida to compel Nemeth to arbitrate the dispute at a JAMS administrative office nearest to Duval County, Florida, and be adjudicated under Florida law.
JAMS is a private company designed to help resolve disputes and arbitrate; AEW has designated JAMS in its contractual language to settle any disputes. JAMS has 29 locations worldwide and is based in Irvine, California.
After agreeing to move to arbitration, Nemeth filed a demand for arbitration with a JAMS office in Orange County, California. AEW states that this demand added an assortment of unsupported claims under the California Labor Code. AEW contends that the California Labor Code does not apply because Nemeth was classified as an independent contractor, not an employee.
Previous Attempts and Arbitrator Selection
AEW attempted to move the claim to Florida last November, but on December 2, JAMS declined. The arbitration process also saw JAMS present both sides with a list of ten potential arbitrators. This list included six arbitrators located in California, three in Florida, and one in New York. Both parties have the option to strike two names from the list and rank the remaining according to their preference.
AEW argued that the number of California arbitrators on the list favored Nemeth. The company maintains that arbitrating the dispute in California is in violation of the express terms of the agreement.
Relief Sought by AEW
In its latest petition, AEW is seeking several specific forms of relief. The promotion aims to have the terms of Nemeth’s contract deemed valid and enforceable, and to prevent Nemeth from prosecuting an arbitration in violation of the agreement. AEW is also seeking reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs incurred in this proceeding and
Any other such relief to which petitioners may be entitled.
In a separate filing on Tuesday, AEW and Tony Khan are seeking to seal confidential information related to the three independent contractor agreements Nemeth signed from 2021 to 2023. They argue that these agreements contain sensitive, confidential and proprietary information belonging to the Petitioners, including but not limited to information related to its business practices, its internal economic structures, compensation agreements, and intellectual property.
