A recently filed lawsuit claims that a fan suffered permanent hearing damage after attending a taping of WWE’s Smackdown program.
Florida resident Richard Bryant alleges that he suffered a ruptured right eardrum, bilateral tinnitus, hearing loss, and psychological harm after attending a July 2022 taping of Smackdown at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, per documents first obtained by PWInsider.
The lawsuit claims that pyrotechnics caused Bryant, who was seated near the stage, “to lose almost all hearing in his right ear.” Bryant is seeking $15,000 in damages.
He alleges that WWE committed a long list of wrongdoings with their usage of pyrotechnics, including not warning “of the dangers of pyrotechnics,” operating without reasonable care, failing to hire “competent” employees, and not implementing safe use of pyrotechnics.
It is also mentioned that the plaintiff “has incurred and is likely to incur future expenses” for trips to medical professionals.
The original complaint includes a few lines mentioning a surgical fusion on Bryant’s left foot from a “collision,” although it’s unclear how the allegation relates to the injury allegedly suffered at a WWE event.
WWE moved the lawsuit from the Superior Court of Connecticut, Judicial District of Stamford to the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut last month, claiming that the federal court has jurisdiction over a case that includes a plaintiff and defendant from different U.S. states.
