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CM Punk Trial Reaches Verdict, Former WWE Superstar Comments On The Outcome & On ‘All In’

By Carter Lee
Published on: 13:24 PST, Jun 5, 2018

It didn’t take long, about two hours, for the jury to reach a verdict in the trial of WWE physician Dr. Chris Amann versus CM Punk and Colt Cabana. As the Inquisitr recently reported, the WWE doctor filed a lawsuit against CM Punk, real name Phil Brooks, and indie wrestler and podcast host Colt Cabana, real name Scott Colton, for slander and libel. Amann claimed that Punk lied about an injury and that Cabana published the episode of The Art of Wrestling knowing that it was false. WrestleZone‘s Nick Hausman covered the entirety of the trial alongside fellow reporter Ross Berman, including the closing arguments and the verdict.

According to a recent WrestleZone report by Ross Berman who covered the closing arguments, Dr. Chris Amann’s attorney provided the definition of a “defamation per se” case at the beginning of the closing argument and explained that plaintiff doesn’t need to prove monetary damages, just emotional distress and emotional damages. Among the many closing points, the doctor’s attorney stated that Punk made false statements on The Art of Wrestling, and that Colt Cabana published these statements knowing that they were false, as documented by the report.

Purportedly, the counsel made remarks about CM Punk’s injury in question, a lump on his back that allegedly turned into a staph infection, and he said that “maybe it was” a staph infection and maybe it wasn’t, but that it was never diagnosed beyond being a cyst. Reportedly, the attorney said that Phil Brooks’ testimony is “self-serving” and gave examples of how the WWE physician was being harassed on social media by Colt Cabana and CM Punk fans. The jury was then shown a series of tweets — including one Twitter user that said, “Whenever I see Dr. Chris Amann, it reminds me of [staph misdiagnosis]” — and the counsel said that Amann can’t even make an Instagram post without receiving Z-Pak comments, according to the WrestleZone report.

As the Inquisitr documented, it was previously known that the WWE doctor was seeking $1 million in compensatory damages, but the amount of punitive damages wasn’t revealed to the public until now. As reported by WrestleZone, at the end of the lawyer’s closing argument, the counsel said that he was seeking $1 per stream of the famed podcast episode, a total of $3.989 million. CM Punk’s attorney then gave their closing arguments.

Purportedly, the attorney stated that Punk and Colt aren’t court reporters; that when they tell stories, they summarize; and that storytelling methods differ from person to person. The counsel says Phil Brooks had a variety of medical problems in 2013 and provided evidence of Punk complaining of illnesses numerous times, as documented by the report. Among a variety of other points, the report also stated that Punk’s lawyer said that at no point did Phil feel he was lying; that Twitter is an “open window to the kitchen”; the WWE physician has had no problem with co-workers, friends, or patients because of the podcast; and said, “Why do we care about the trolls of the world?”

As documented by Cageside Seats, the jury found that Dr. Chris Amman’s claims had no value and ruled in the favor of CM Punk and Colt Cabana, and they will not have to pay any damages. CM Punk embraced his wife, former WWE superstar AJ Lee, and the couple cried in relief, according to the Cageside Seats report. As seen in the videos below tweeted by Nick Hausman, CM Punk and Colt Cabana were happy with the outcome. Cabana said that the podcast will continue on just like it has been, but he did give some advice to other would-be show hosts — “get insured.”

CM Punk said that he was happy for Colt Cabana and that common sense prevailed. He also states in the video that he can’t wait to put it all behind him, that he wanted out years ago and still feels the same way, and that he just wants to move on with his life. Nick then asked Punk if he was all-in, referring to the upcoming super-indie event All In, and Punk said, “no.”

Not only did justice seemingly prevail at the trial, but CM Punk also provided information that can hopefully put two rumors to rest: he will not be returning to the WWE, and the UFC fighter will not be wrestling at All In.

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