The widow of Owen Hart, Martha, has settled her lawsuit with the McMahon's and the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) organization, according to The Huffington Post.
The dispute was over the use of Hart's image, once one of the most popular WWE figures. He tragically died in 1999 while repelling into the ring from the rafters during an event at the Kemper Arena in Kansas, MO. Due to a malfunction in the bungee apparatus he was using; he fell 50-feet and landed on a turnbuckle. The fall broke his neck and caused extensive internal bleeding. He was 34.
His wife sued the WWE in June 2010, alleging the WWE didn't pay her royalties and owed money to his estate. She also alleged that the WWE violated a contract restricting the use of his name and likeness.
"Since Owen's death, the WWE and McMahons have sought every available opportunity to further exploit Owen's personality for their own commercial benefit," the Examiner reported. "Their use of Owen's name and likeness draws attention to the WWE's ongoing violent and highly questionable theatrical activities that caused Owen's death."
He was featured in a number of commercials and other materials such as wrestling footage, which was directly against Martha's wishes. She did not want her husband's name further associated with the WWE following his death.
She did not want to give the impression that she condoned what the WWE was doing with his image.
When the suit was first brought up in 2010, the McMahon's claimed it was in response to Linda McMahon running for a political position. She unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate as a Republican in Connecticut in 2010 and 2012.
The terms of the settlement were not released.
