CM Punk got a big victory in the court room on Tuesday, the first of two major victories he is looking to achieve this week.
WWE’s doctor Chris Amann had filed a defamation lawsuit against CM Punk and Colt Cabana over disparaging remarks made concerning Amann’s work during an appearance on Cabana’s podcast, The Art of Wrestling.
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The lawsuit went to trial over the last week and heard arguments and witness accounts from both sides. Nick Hausman of WrestleZone provided daily reports of the case direct from the court room, and he reported on Tuesday that the jury deliberated for about two hours before coming to the verdict.
The jury in the Punk-Cabana vs Amann trial has reached a verdict. It took about two hours.@RossWBermanIV & I are waiting for everyone to reconvene and then we’ll head into the courtroom to hear the verdict announced.
Stay tuned…
— Nick Hausman (@WZRebel) June 5, 2018
The jury found Punk and Cabana not guilty on all counts. Given that result, the two of them will not have to pay a dime of out of pocket costs for the trial. According to Hausman, both men appeared very relieved following the reading of the verdict. Cabana was visibly relieved while Punk and his wife, AJ Lee of WWE fame, embraced in a tearful hug.
The jury finds in favor of CM Punk (Philip Jack Brooks) and Colt Cabana (Scott Colton) on all counts filed by Dr. Chris Amann. Neither will have to pay anything.
— Nick Hausman (@WZRebel) June 5, 2018
Punk and Cabana shook hands with all of the jurors following the case and Amann was also reportedly very polite after everything was over. When the verdict was read, Hausman reported that Amann was “staring off blankly.”
The biggest negative of the trial was that Amann could not argue that the alleged defamatory remarks cost him anything financially, though he argued that there was emotional pain and work stress due to what the pair had said when criticizing his medical work, specifically the handling of Punk’s injury in late 2013 and early 2014.
Punk now moves on for his second UFC fight this Saturday night on PPV. The fight, which occurs at UFC 225 in Punk’s hometown of Chicago, will feature Punk vs. Mike Jackson in the opening contest. Both men are looking for their first win in UFC, as both have lost contests to Mickey Gall in the past.
