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The United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Eastern Division issued a Motion today in the the lawsuit filed against WWE, The Columbus Sports Arena and Entertainment, Ohio State University and UMR, Inc. by William Ricks, who alleges that he was injured after slipping in a puddle while attending a 4/22/24 WWE Monday Night Raw event in Columbus, Ohio.
WWE, as of this writing, has not responded - and there's good reason. They have not been served.
The Court today issued the following: "Plaintiff filed this case on September 2, 2025. According to the docket, Plaintiff has yet to effect service on Defendants World Wrestling Entertainment, LLC or UMR. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 4(m) provides in relevant part: If a defendant is not served within 90 days after the complaint is filed, the court— on motion or on its own after notice to the plaintiff—must dismiss the action without prejudice against that defendant or order that service be made within a specified time. But if the plaintiff shows good cause for the failure, the court must extend the time for service for an appropriate period. The Court ORDERS Plaintiff to show good cause within fourteen (14) days of the date of this Order why the unserved Defendants should not be dismissed and why an extension of time to effect service should be allowed. The good cause showing must be supported with sworn affidavits. If these Defendants signed waiver of service forms, Plaintiff’s good cause showing should indicate as much."
If Ricks is unable to sway the court, WWE may soon be dismissed as a defendant.
In his lawsuit, Ricks claimed 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.
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."
Ricks argued on 11/10 against the Motion.
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