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Attorneys for Riki Paul Johnson, the ex-husband of WWE star Charlotte Flair filed a Notice of Resolution with the The United States District Court, Western District of North Carolina on 3/31, informing the court that all sides are close to agreeing to a settlement in regard to the lawsuit he filed last year against WWE, Ric Flair, Charlotte Flair and Brian Shields in regard to claims made about him in the book Second Nature, which told an intertwining story about the careers and lives of Ric and Charlotte.
Johnson (who was married to Charlotte for a year before she broke into WWE), had 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 had 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.
In the filing, Johnson’s attorneys wrote that all parties, “have agreed to resolve the above captioned matter, subject to agreement on the remaining details of a proposed Settlement Agreement and Mutual Release, upon which the parties are diligently working. The parties anticipate that these details will be resolved and that a final Settlement Agreement and Mutual Release will be completed on or before April 2, 2019, at which time the parties anticipate filing with the Court a Notice of Settlement.”
When the lawsuit was filed last year, 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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