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The United States District Court, Western District of North Carolina ruled on 3/14 that Ric Flair and Brian Shields, the author of WWE book Second Nature, which told an intertwining story about the careers and lives of Ric and Charlotte Flair, could have an extended time period to respond to the lawsuit filed against them by Charlotte's ex-husband Riki Paul Johnson regarding claims made about him in Second Nature. They now have until 3/28 to respond.
However, on 3/15, Johnson was awarded additional time to amend his complaint against them, World Wrestling Entertainment and Charlotte Flair. Johnson now has until 3/22 to file an amended complaint. Should he do so, the clock would reset for the defendants to respond to his allegations.
Johnson (who was married to Charlotte for a year before she broke into WWE), has previously alleged there are false statements made about him in Second Nature, including a claim that he lost two jobs due to drug use, a claim that he was sterile and could not have children and "multiple false allegations physical and/or psychological abuse", which Johnson stated he believes he can prove are incorrect with police reports and dash cam footage. Johnson has alleged Second Nature has humiliated his family, including his three children, because the family are the subject of shame and ridicule and that he was intentionally presented in the book as a villain to make Charlotte look better.
When the lawsuit was filed, WWE issued the following statement to TMZ.com: "We recently received what appears to be a meritless lawsuit and we will vigorously defend ourselves."
Second Nature was released in hardcover and paperback last year. Promotional material for the book notes, "Are you ready for this, WWE Universe? For the first time ever, WWE's illustrious father-daughter duo “Nature Boy“ Ric Flair and Charlotte come together to tell their legendary story. Ric Flair is a 16-time World Champion and two-time WWE Hall of Fame Inductee. His four-decades long career is recognized as one of the greatest of all time, but with success comes a price. Despite his effortless brilliance in front of the cameras, his life away from the cameras includes personal struggles, controversy and family tragedy. Through his bond with Charlotte, he's becoming the father he needs to be while rediscovering the legend he has always been. Charlotte grew up in the shadow of her famous father, “the dirtiest player in the game,“ but now she is poised to take the Flair name to new heights. As the inaugural WWE Women's Champion, Charlotte has had an impressive career, and she's just getting started. With the (dare we say it) flair of the “Nature Boy“ running through her blood, Charlotte is destined for greatness. Find out how she embraced her heritage and battled her own challenges through her rise to the top of WWE. For these two Champions, sports entertainment is simply SECOND NATURE."
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