Company now has until April 13 to respond to class action complaint
Summary
– WWE granted extension to answer ESPN app access lawsuit
– Plaintiffs claim marketing implied no extra fee for premium events
– Case seeks over $5 million in damages
WWE has secured additional time to respond to a class action lawsuit tied to its partnership with ESPN’s streaming platform. The company now has until April 13, 2026, to formally file its response in the U.S. District Court in Connecticut.
The lawsuit was filed on January 9 and centers on how WWE communicated access to its premium live events following its move to ESPN’s streaming service. Plaintiffs Michael Diesa of New Jersey and Rebecca Toback of New York allege that fans were led to believe an existing ESPN cable or live TV subscription would grant full access to events such as WrestlePalooza.
Instead, some subscribers discovered they were required to pay an additional $29.99 monthly fee, even though they already paid for ESPN through certain providers. The complaint avoids naming ESPN or Disney as defendants, focusing solely on WWE to bypass arbitration clauses tied to Disney’s user agreements.
The filing references public comments from WWE President Nick Khan and a press release issued on August 6, 2025, which suggested that premium live events would be included without an additional charge for subscribers to ESPN’s flagship service.
While ESPN has since reached access agreements with multiple providers, the plaintiffs represent customers whose platforms were not included during the initial rollout window. The lawsuit claims damages exceeding $5 million.
WWE has not publicly commented on the matter. The next phase of the case will determine whether WWE’s promotional messaging is misleading under consumer protection law.
