RKMBs Forums .::Robegories::. Sports and Wrestling Owen Harts wife sues WWE

Representatives of Martha Hart issued the following press release this morning.
Widow of Deceased Professional Wrestler Owen Hart Files Lawsuit Against World Wrestling Entertainment, Vince McMahon & Linda McMahon
WWE continues to use Owen Hart’s Name and Image for Marketing more than 11 Years After he Was Killed in a WWE-sponsored Stunt; In Violation of Contract and Contrary to Family’s Wishes
HARTFORD, Conn., June 22 /PRNewswire/ — Martha Hart, the widow of the late Owen Hart, a professional wrestler who was killed in a May 1999 stunt orchestrated by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) today filed suit in the U.S. District Court here against WWE, Vince McMahon (current chairman and CEO) and Linda McMahon (CEO until 2009). The lawsuit alleges the WWE and the McMahons used Owen Hart’s name and likeness without right in dozens of commercial videos and other materials, violated a contract restricting the use of Owen Hart’s name, likeness and wrestling footage, and disregarded Martha Hart’s wishes against further association of her late husband’s name with WWE following his death. (Mrs. Hart and WWE settled a wrongful death lawsuit in 2000. Mrs. Hart established the Owen Hart Foundation later that year.)
“In the eleven years since Owen’s tragic and avoidable death, I have worked tirelessly to disassociate Owen’s name and likeness from anything related to WWE in order to protect our children from any reminder of the circumstances surrounding their father’s death, and to avoid any misplaced perception that I endorse WWE,” said Martha Hart in a statement.
“Unfortunately, even though WWE, Vince McMahon and Linda McMahon were and are well aware of my wishes and desire to shield my children from WWE and its activities, I was shocked to learn earlier this year that they have been using Owen’s name and likeness in videos, websites, television programs and print materials. Given this callous, insensitive and irresponsible behavior, one must question the moral character of Vince and Linda McMahon and the manner in which they conduct their business.”
According to the lawsuit filed today before the U.S. District Court in Hartford,
“Since Owen’s death, the WWE and McMahons have sought every available opportunity to further exploit Owen’s personality for their own commercial benefit. Their use of Owen’s name and likeness draws attention to the WWE’s ongoing violent and highly questionable theatrical activities that caused Owen’s death. Defendants’ use of Owen’s name and likeness is also in direct disregard of Martha’s and her children’s objections…The WWE’s wrongful use of Owen’s name and likeness, over Martha’s continuing objection to any association with defendants and in the absence of any legal right of use, creates the wrongful impression that Martha and the Estate now support, approve or condone the video (which they do not).”
The lawsuit seeks to enjoin the WWE from further use of Owen Hart’s name and likeness, and seeks unpaid royalties as well as damages for breach of contract, copyright infringement, unjust enrichment, accounting and unfair and deceptive trade practices.
Mrs. Hart is represented by the law firm Nixon Peabody LLP.
Note to Editors: A copy of the complaint can be found at http://www.marthahartsueswwe.com
Information on the Owen Hart Foundation can be found at http://www.owenhart.org

As you’ve read, Martha Hart has filed a 21-page lawsuit against WWE. One of the reasons is to try and get WWE to no longer use any footage of Owen Hart and have no connection between him and the company. This would make it impossible for WWE to induct Owen into the Hall of Fame.
Martha also wants royalties based on WWE DVD’s released that have Owen matches on them. Martha says it was the marketing of the recent Hart Family DVD that caused her to take action. Martha found at least 37 WWE DVD’s that featured Owen and she says the family never received royalty checks for them.
WWE’s Jerry McDevitt told the Hartford Courant: “Martha Hart does not have some exclusive right to tell the story of her husband. He was a public figure…he was part of WWE.”
This is actually the second time Martha tried to take action as she tried to get an injunction on the release of the Hart Family DVD in Canada back in March of this year. Martha’s request for injunction was thrown out of court quickly and the DVD was released in Canada. Martha was ordered by the courts to pay WWE’s legal costs. Martha found out about the DVD on March 20th. Five days later, her lawyers contacted WWE saying they had no permission to use the Owen Hart name or likeness. Martha says WWE ignored her letter.
Martha is worried about a connection between Owen and WWE that hurts The Owen Hart Foundation. Martha says a key component in the success of the Foundation is that his name was completely disassociated from WWE. Martha says WWE has a public image that is inconsistent with the Foundation. Martha claims that WWE has attempted to latch onto Owen’s good name based on the good work of the Owen Hart Foundation. The lawsuit claims that Owen on a WWE DVD “has tainted the Foundation’s image by creating the false impression that the estate has now abandoned its longstanding policy of disassociating itself from all matters WWE and McMahon-related. As a result, defendants have damaged and continue to damage the Foundation’s reputation that it has unrelentingly built up for ten years.”
Martha says the lawsuit has nothing to do with Linda McMahon running for political office. Martha says she has never spoken to any of Linda’s opponents but did say voters should question her moral character. McDevitt said: “I don’t think you’d see what happened today if Linda wasn’t running for Senate.”
It’s also said that the new lawsuit against WWE and Bret Hart leaving is purely coincidental.
Martha is seeking an injunction to prevent WWE from using Owen’s name or likeness in the future and are looking for damages in an amount to be determined in court with interest and lawyer costs. Martha’s lawyers have demanded a complete accounting from WWE of sales and revenue from everything that has used the Owen Hart. name or likeness.
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

As far as the recent lawsuit filed by Martha, I'm working on a detailed response that I will post soon, but I think my fans might be a little surprised at my take on things. Aside from that, I know that the WWE Universe is more than curious to know what my status is anymore and the truth is nobody knows, including me. There are a lot rumors out there about me and all I can say is that they're rarely true. I will have some major announcements forthcoming, but right now I'm going to keep the lid on things because I'm not looking for any distractions.

WWE lawyer Jerry McDevitt tells Courant.com that the lawsuit filed by the late Owen Hart’s widow, Martha, against WWE, Vince and Linda McMahon is without merit.
Martha Hart is suing the WWE for continuing to profit off the likeness of her late husband, especially as it pertains to the new Hart Family DVD set. Martha Harat issued a statement this week saying the WWE filed a lawsuit against her because she “had the nerve” to pursue a wrongful death claim following her husband’s death.
McDevitt now says Martha’s statement is false. this afternoon. According to him, WWE didn’t sue her because she brought the wrongful death claim. However, it did petition a court in Connecticut to hear the claim, instead of the Missouri court where Hart had filed her lawsuit, which was settled before going to trial.
McDevitt calls Hart’s statement “pejorative nonsense” and said her current lawsuit is nothing more than “a personal attack” on the McMahon family. He denies the insinuation that WWE is trying to deny Hart and her children compensation from the Hart Family DVD and says WWE handled the aftermath of Owen Hart’s death in a “humanitarian” way.

Though he is not actively performing for WWE, Bret Hart showed no hesitation in siding with the wrestling company for its legal battle with Martha Hart.
Martha Hart, the widow of Owen Hart, filed a suit over WWE’s use of the late wrestler’s likeness, and Bret feels an attempt to remove Owen from wrestling history would make him “turn in his grave.”
“I believe Owen would turn in his grave watching Martha erase every single thing he ever did, all for spite,” wrote Hart on his Facebook page. “Martha Hart needs to celebrate Owen’s memory as much as possible, not block it away forever. How stupid and selfish is that? In her own book, she wrote how even though she was angry at Vince, she didn’t hate him and that she felt he was truly sorry about what happened. She had written him a letter in order for her to move on and be at peace. Maybe she should practice what she preached.”
Bret notes that Owen was a “great [wrestler] and proud of it” and that “Martha Hart has done nothing to keep his memory alive and sadly, he fades from view a little more every year. I do suspect this lawsuit is more about publicity, ego, and small-mindedness than it is about pro-wrestling and all of those that are in it.”
“I know Owen was always proud of his body of work. His fans have never forgotten him and most of today’s WWE wrestlers and hundreds of employees have never forgotten him. They speak endlessly of loving memories that speak volumes on what kind of person he was,” added Bret.
In addition to putting WWE’s crew over as the most “wholesome bunch of athletes anywhere in any profession,” Hart adds that “The best thing I can do for Owen’s kids is take them backstage and introduce them to all the people who love and remember their dad. Owen is loved and missed everyday. Why Martha would insist they never know these people is sad and pathetic.”
He also notes that the rest of the Hart family has “found a way to forgive and move on for the sake of the next generation’s well-being,” referencing The Hart Dynasty’s current presence on WWE television.

does anyone really care other than Martha Patterson that Owen Hart went splat and fell on his head 11 years ago? By the way, I am still not posting here.