Ric Flair is suing over his own image and social media account.
The Independent reports that Flair claims he signed the rights to his digital image and didn’t get the money he was promised.
In the lawsuit, Flair accuses FAM Networks of waiting “until Flair needed help managing the digital legacy of everything he had built, presented him with a document he was not equipped to understand, told him he had lawyers when he did not, gave him fourteen minutes to read it and walked away with a perpetual license to his identity.”
Flair told The Independent that he has lost $250,000 thus far.
“I spent more than forty years building the name Ric Flair, with my body, my blood, and everything I had. For decades, to be the man, you had to beat the man. FAM hasn’t beaten me. I trusted the wrong people to help me help manage that legacy. They overpromised and underdelivered after taking control that was never theirs to take and thought it was the whole match. I built this name, I earned this name, and I’m going to fight to take it back! I’m also doing this for every performer and public figure who’s ever been handed a contract like this one. Wooooo!,” he said.
Flair claims he signed a contract sent to him via email. Flair maintains FAM Networks made $20,000 a month alone by monetizing his Facebook page as they replaced the teams managing all of his social media accounts.
“In those fourteen minutes, without the benefit of legal counsel, without a single attorney reviewing a single word on his behalf, and in direct contradiction of a contractual recital FAM itself drafted declaring that the agreement had been negotiated with counsel, Mr. Fliehr surrendered an irrevocable, perpetual, sublicensable license over his name, image, likeness, voice, accounts, and commercial identity – throughout the universe, without restriction, in all languages, formats, and media now known or later developed,” states the court filing.
Flair believes he is owed compensatory damages of at least $5 million for breach of contract; compensatory and punitive damages of at least $5 million for fraudulent inducement; compensatory damages to be determined at trial for violations of New York Civil Rights Law; compensatory and punitive damages for tortious interference with prospective economic advantage, also to be determined at trial; and disgorgement of all amounts by which FAM “has been unjustly enriched at [Fliehr’s] expense,” plus attorneys’ fees and court costs.
FAM Networks states on their site that they are “a cutting edge talent-first management agency and media company representing some of the most unique and impactful influencers around the world. It reaches an audience of 1B+ per month, and offers a full service experience ranging from business initiatives including sponsorships, merchandising, licensing, and custom business planning Distinguished for it’s ability to produce, distribute, and market digital content across multiple platforms, FAM Networks boasts an unparalleled track record for delivering successful campaigns for brands including Disney, Nickelodeon, Dreamworks, Bill Gates Foundation, Fortnite, Verizon, Kellogs, Nintendo, Ubisoft, and many more. As industry and thought leaders, we specialize in making an impact while bridging traditional and digital media.”
