Ronnie Basham, the Kentucky teenager who filed a lawsuit Thursday against World Wrestling Entertainment, Paul Levesque (a/k/a Triple H) and Dwayne Johnson (a/k/a The Rock) over an incident at WWE’s 2000 Judgment Day pay-per-view event, talked to NBC’s Louisville, Kentucky affiliate WAVE 3 to discuss the matter.
Basham, now 18 years and a senior at Clarksville High School, claims he was injured when Levesque and Johnson took their match over the crowd barrier on May 21, 2000 at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center in Louisville.
“After The Rock got into it with one of the spectators, bodies were just coming towards me,” Basham told WAVE.
Ronnie’s mother, Lisa Lanham, says someone shoved a woman on top of her son, who was standing on a chair.
Basham’s attorney Harris Berman continued with what the family says happened next.
“He (Basham) fell down and his legs were caught between the two chairs and the lady then fell on him and crushed his right knee,” the attorney said. “It really resulted as an assault on a 7-year-old kid.”
Mother and son claim the injury got worse as he underwent multiple surgeries over the years, racking up $37,000 in medical bills. His attorney said they no had plans to sue until WWE refused to pay for anything, including the boy’s ride in the ambulance to the hospital.
When asked if suing WWE was the right thing to do, Berman replied, “Yeah for the pain and taking away a kid’s childhood, because that’s the best part of anyone’s life is their childhood.”
While the alleged injury occurred over a decade ago, the Statute of Limitations in Kentucky extends for minors to age 18. The suit seeks compensation and a jury trial.
For more details on the story and to view the video interview, click here.
