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Last month, PWInsider.com covered WWE, The Columbus Sports Arena and Entertainment, Ohio State University and UMR, Inc. being sued by William Ricks, a Pennsylvania resident before The United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Eastern Division. Ricks alleges that he was injured after slipping in a puddle while attending a 4/22/24 WWE Monday Night Raw event in Columbus, Ohio.
Ricks' lawsuit alleged that "he was walking in and around an aisle by sections 207/208 when he slipped and fell due to a hazardous condition that existed in the form of an unmarked puddle of a liquid or liquid-like substance that was not open and obvious."
The lawsuit stated that all of the defendants except UMR, Inc. (an insurance company), "...owed the ticket-purchasing audience, of which Plaintiff was a member, a duty to maintain the Premises in a way that was free of any hazardous conditions.d
The lawsuit alleged Ricks has suffered permanent pain and suffering in the form of injuries from the fall, but does not cite exactly what the injuries are. Wicks' lawsuit cited negligence, a failure to warn, and vicarious liability for all of the defendants except UMR. The lawsuit alleges Ricks "may have had medical assistance with or received payments from Defendant UMR for care and treatment rendered due to injuries sustained in the aforementioned accident."
The Columbus Arena Sports and Entertainment and The Ohio State University responded to the lawsuit on 10/27, arguing that the lawsuit should be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction, arguing that Ricks would need to prove jurisdiction in order for the case to move forward. The argument is that Ohio State University would be considered an "arm of the State" and therefore not able to be sued as they would have immunity.
They argued, "Here, neither the state nor OSU has waived its sovereign immunity, and therefore, the case should be dismissed, as the Ohio Court of Claims has exclusive jurisdiction over all claims alleged against OSU in Plaintiff’s complaint."
WWE, as of this writing, has not responded.
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