Boxing legend Mike Tyson and professional wrestling icon Ric Flair have cleared a major hurdle in their ongoing fifty-million-dollar RICO lawsuit against former cannabis business partners, after a federal judge in Illinois rejected a joint defense motion to dismiss the case.
The ruling keeps alive a high-stakes legal battle that pits two of combat sports’ most recognizable names against former executives at Carma, the parent company behind ventures like Tyson 2.0 and Ric Flair Drip. TMZ reported the decision, which prevents defendants from throwing out the litigation before it reaches trial.
- Tyson and Flair are pursuing upwards of $50 million in damages alongside co-plaintiffs following a federal lawsuit originally filed in December 2025.
- Defendants Chad Bronstein, Adam Wilks, Nicole Cosby, James Case, and Christopher Volo had filed a joint motion in May to have the racketeering claims tossed out.
- The presiding federal judge denied the dismissal attempt, allowing the multi-million-dollar financial misconduct lawsuit to proceed on its merits.
The legal dispute centers on severe allegations of corporate betrayal and financial siphoning within the celebrity-backed cannabis empire. Tyson, Flair, and their fellow plaintiffs accuse former Carma executives Chad Bronstein and Adam Wilks of treating corporate accounts like a personal piggy bank, according to court documents cited by TMZ. The complaint alleges that over one million dollars was unlawfully diverted to fund lavish personal expenses.
WrestleZone noted that the alleged misuse of funds included paying for private jet travel, yacht excursions, home renovations, and mortgage payments. The lawsuit claims that other named defendants secured undisclosed kickbacks through business arrangements brokered entirely without the knowledge or consent of Tyson and Flair.
Attorneys representing Bronstein and Cosby previously dismissed the allegations as fiction, while Wilks’ counsel argued the claims lacked substance. All five individual defendants have strongly maintained their innocence throughout the proceedings.
Despite the vigorous defense, the federal judge’s refusal to dismiss the racketeering claims clears the path for formal evidence discovery and a potential jury trial. A representative for Tyson 2.0 hailed the development in a public statement, emphasizing that the sports icons are fully prepared to hold the responsible parties accountable under the law.
“This ruling represents a significant development in our clients' pursuit of justice,” a representative for Tyson 2.0 said in a statement.
