World Wrestling Entertainment, the producer of Wrestlemania, has sued an Athens, GA company that markets a hangover pill, alleging the company failed to pay for a sponsorship agreement worth more than $1 million. The WWE suit claims that Three Sixty Inc., which distributes over-the-counter hangover medicine 360 OTC, promised in 2006 to pay $1 million to sponsor Wrestlemania, but paid only $75,000. Three Sixty has continued to represent itself as the "official pain relief" of Wrestlemania against WWE's demands to remove the claim from the company's Web site, according to the suit. The suit also names IAHL Corp., Three Sixty's new corporate name; Three Sixty's subsidiary Rockford-Montgomery Labs Inc.; company officers Michele Shearer and Mark De Mattei; and Air, Sea and Ground Inc., an advertising agency De Mattei runs. WWE asked the U.S. Middle District Court of Georgia to force Three Sixty to pay for the sponsorship, including a percentage of 360 OTC profits, and to stop using the Wrestlemania name to promote the 360 OTC products. The WWE lawsuit is the latest in a barrage of legal troubles for Three Sixty, Shearer and DeMattei.
Last year, Virginia-based NASCAR racing team Morgan-McClure Motorsports, sued, claiming that Rockford-Montgomery failed to make payments on a $10.1 million race team sponsorship. The two parties settled the case on Jan. 14, and Rockford-Montgomery Labs promised to pay Morgan-McClure $3 million.
In another case, Dirt Motorsports, a Delaware company that sponsors the World of Outlaws racing tour, sued in August, claiming that Three Sixty and others failed to pay $4.8 million in sponsorship agreements. That case remains unresolved.
Just Marketing International, an Indiana-based firm, also sued Rockford-Montgomery, Three Sixty, Shearer and De Mattei last summer for failing to pay for marketing work the company did for Rockford-Montgomery. Gary Coulter, the Athens attorney who represents Shearer and DeMattei, had no comment on any of the cases. Shearer and DeMattei did not respond to e-mails. Athens Banner-Herald