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NWA LAWSUIT UPDATE

By Mike Johnson on 2012-04-04 11:23:53
The latest hearing in the lawsuit brought against the NWA and its parent organization Pro Wrestling Organization LLC by R. Bruce Tharpe, a member of the National Wrestling Alliance operating out of Texas, was held Monday in Brownsville, Texas.

During the hearing, Tharpe's side again won a jurisdiction argument against the NWA, this time against their new counsel, which had been hired by new NWA Executive Direcor David Baucom. The Judge ruled that the previous testimony as well as the NWA responding to the court in Texas was enough to grant jurisdiction.

A trial for the lawsuit was set for 5/24.

The lawsuit, filed by Tharpe this past January, alleges that the NWA had been committing insurance fraud by having a policy that designated it covers gatherings for 100 people for members when obviously there have been NWA events drawing well over that amount. Tharpe claimed in the suit that the NWA willingly misrepresented themselves to their insurance company, putting Tharpe and others at risk legally while using the policy.

The lawsuit claims that the NWA fraudulently induced members to join the organization, including Tharpe, by claiming that they would be covered by the NWA's insurance and that NWA Executive Director Bob Trobich (who is an attorney based out of North Carolina, which explains the involvement of NC authorities) led a conspiracy among NWA members by discussing this and pushing other officers to go along with the alleged fraud.

The suit also claimed that the Board of Directors, in conjunction with Trobich, threatened members with fines and ejection from the NWA if questions regarding the insurance were pushed.

Tharpe is seeking damages, although it notes in the filing that he does not seek a sum above $49,000.

Trobich resigned from his NWA position earlier this week.

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