It’s definitely not the situation you want to be in just days away from a fight. But that it was for Phil ‘CM Punk’ Brooks.
The former WWE star, CM Punk was sided with by jurors today in his defamation lawsuit that was filed by WWE doctor, Christopher Amann for comments that CM Punk made about him on a podcast.
Amann was hoping to get four million dollars with the case which equals out to one dollar for each time the podcast episode was streamed. That along with additional punitive damages.
ProWrestlingSheet.com broke things down.
In the November 2014 podcast interview conducted by [Colt] Cabana, Punk recalled his medical issues and treatments in the months leading up to him walking out of WWE following the Royal Rumble [pay-per-view event]. Though he was rarely mentioned by name in the podcast, Amann felt Punk’s claims directly damaged his reputation and caused distress.
Amann told jurors he was harassed and humiliated by fans and that the podcast hurt his standing with patients. However, the WWE ringside physician couldn’t point to any monetary damages, and he remains employed by the company.
Much of the testimony centered around a lump on Punk’s backside, which Punk felt made him ill over an extended period. Punk contended Amann didn’t properly treat it. Amann claims he never saw it. His attorneys showed numerous texts and emails regarding Punk’s health and at no point did Punk put anything in writing with WWE doctors about the lump.
In the podcast, Punk said the lump ended up being a staph infection that ultimately could’ve cost him his life. It was shown in court that the lump was diagnosed by a physician’s assistant as a lump. Even so, the P.A. who treated Punk labeled it a possible staph infection – but never tested it.
advertisement – continue reading belowPunk said the podcast was his way to “set the record straight for my fans” and tell his story. He told jurors he wouldn’t change anything about the interview.
CM Punk takes on Mike Jackson at UFC 225 this Saturday in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois. After his trial, he caught up with Fightful and had this to say.
“I hope it’s all over, and I never have to talk about it again, and hear certain names and certain words. I don’t have to relive me being forced to work through concussions anymore, and people’s testimony about it. We can one hundred percent say it’s one of the happiest days in my life. I’ll always be looking over my shoulder I think,”
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This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 6/5/2018