Randy Orton has been back in the fold since Survivor Series last year but there has been a dispute over his tattoos over the past few years, as a tattoo artist filed a lawsuit against WWE. With that said, it appears WWE has ultimately won the financial judgment in the lawsuit.
According to PWInsider, several years after tattoo artist Catherine Alexander won her lawsuit against WWE, Take-Two Interactive, 2K Games, and others, her financial victory has now been nullified.
In 2018, Catherine Alexander filed the lawsuit, claiming that the tattoos she created for Randy Orton were her original designs, and the defendants used them in WWE video games without her permission. She argued that they infringed on her copyrights by recreating the tattoos in these games. Alexander stated that she had tattooed Orton between 2003 and 2008, and the designs were recognizable to his fans. She had even applied for copyright registration for these tattoos before filing the lawsuit.
In 2020, the court ruled that WWE and Take-Two had copied Alexanders work. While the court acknowledged that the tattoos were copied, it left the issue of damages for a jury to decide. The jury found in favor of Alexander and awarded her $3,750 in damages but ruled that no profits from the video games were related to her tattoo designs.
Though Alexander won the case, she did not receive a large payout. More recently, the defendants argued that the jurys damages award was speculative and not backed by proper evidence. On September 25th, the judge agreed with this argument and nullified the financial damages. While Alexanders victory still stands in terms of copyright infringement, she will not receive any financial compensation.
In the judges ruling, it was explained that Alexander did not provide enough evidence to show the value of her tattoos or any lost profits. As a result, the jurys decision to award damages was considered speculative, and the financial judgment was overturned. So, while Alexander proved her case, she will not receive any money from it.
Fans may be glad to hear this news as many feel that the tattoo artist did not have legitimate grounds to sue WWE over Randy Ortons tattoos. Regardless, it is not known whether Alexander will file an appeal after this verdict, so we will keep you updated on this ongoing matter.
Whats your view on this story concerning the Randy Orton tattoo lawsuit? Do you feel the correct verdict was given? Let us know in the comments section below!
