A former member of AEW's production crew has filed a lawsuit agains the promotion and current world champion Jon Moxley (real name Jonathan Good), alleging negligence on both parties and civil assault & battery on Moxley over an incident that allegedly occurred during the May 10, 2023, edition of "AEW Dynamite," hosted at Little Caesar's Arena in Detroit, Michigan. The plaintiff, Christopher Dispensa, described by The Takedown which exclusively broke the story as "a longtime wrestling and entertainment production crew member," was working as a contractor that evening, according to the lawsuit. Dispensa claims he was hired to hold a screwdriver for Moxley to take from him during a match against Kenny Omega. The suit alleges that, without advance warning or agreement, Moxley went off script, "violently shoving" the plaintiff to the ground, resulting in "extensive" injuries that required surgery and other treatments.
Dispensa's lawsuit accuses AEW of negligent hiring, stating the company owed a duty to him to "hire, train, supervise and discipline competent employees and agents" in order to ensure the safety of contractors like Dispensa. It further claims that Moxley's disciplinary history demonstrates "a history of unpredictability as well as a lack of control" and that his actions showed"clear intent to harm [Dispensa] or at a minimum a complete disregard for whether harm was a result."
Dispensa is seeking damages formedical expenses,disability,permanent and serious disfigurement, pain and suffering, and "exemplary damages for mental and emotional anxiety, humiliation and/or indignity," among others.
AEW was recently successful in having former the lawsuit filed by former broadcaster Kevin Kelly and the Tate twins sent to arbitration. Former AEW talent Ryan Nemeth voluntarily dismissed his lawsuit against AEW in April.
