Lawsuit filed against WWE by Doink The Clown's family

Doink The Clown

Matt Osborne was the first and the longest-running wrestler to portray the character of Doink The Clown. Matt’s family filed a lawsuit against WWE in Dallas, Texas on Friday. Matt’s Widow Michelle James long with his children Matthew and Teagan were listed as the plaintiffs in this lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges negligence and fraud related to “mistreatment of Matthew Osborne which ultimately resulted in Matthew Osborne’s wrongful death.”

The lawsuit states that “When forced to acknowledge the risks to which it subjects its wrestlers — by script, on a daily basis — WWE took inadequate steps to correct the problem or to address its injurious conduct, the full consequences of which are still coming to light. Indeed, WWE continues a course of conduct designed to mislead its wrestlers, and designed to mislead Matthew Osborne until his death, about the injuries they sustained while wrestling for WWE by failing to disclose pertinent facts or offering misleading truths.”

The lawsuit also alleges that Matt experienced “traumatic brain injuries” that resulted in “depression and drug abuse, which ultimately resulted in his untimely death.” Matt was found dead on June 28, 2013, in the Plano, Texas apartment. His cause of death was determined to be an accidental overdose of morphine and hydrocodone. He also suffered from heart disease, which was another factor contributing to his death.

WWE attorney, Jerry McDevitt told that WWE is “being targeted by attorneys who tell [wrestlers and their families] there’s hundreds of thousands of dollars” to be made filing concussion-related suits. He told ‘The Dallas Morning News’ this evening that this suit is no different—that it’s just another one in a long line of legal filings aimed at “drumming up people … looking for NFL money.”

“They’re all different from the NFL. We never had anyone claim they had these kinds of injuries until [these attorneys] did it. They find the destitute, people who have no money, and told them there’s money to be made. That’s what is going on,” said McDevitt. “And I feel bad for these families, because they think they’ll make money off of this, and they’re not.”

WWE issued the following statement two years ago after the death of Matt Osborne- “WWE is saddened by the news that Matt Osborne, aka the original Doink the Clown, has passed away. A rugged brawler in promotions like Mid-South Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling, Osborne made a major impact in WWE under the greasepaint of a prankster named Doink — one of the most enduring personas of the early ’90s. Our deepest condolences go out to Osborne’s family, friends and fans.”

The lawsuit alleges that Matt started wrestling in 1985 after WWE CEO and Chairman, Vince McMahon approached him. This allegation was false because Matt started wrestling in 1978 and joined WWE in 1985 as a preliminary wrestler. Something worthwhile noting here is that Matt lost to Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania-I.

You can find the entire 72-page lawsuit here.