Ric Flair’s legal battle with his former agent Melinda Zanoni has just turned even more ugly as Zanoni, who runs the Legacy Talent and Entertainment company, has sued the former 16-time champion for defamation.

In a video uploaded on YouTube last week, Flair ripped on his former friend and agent, accusing her of stealing $46,000 in royalties from his ESPN 30 for 30 documentary. He had sued Legacy in 2017 after he left the agency following his stint in hospital. Back then, Zanoni claimed that Flair’s hospitalization was nothing serious at all but in fact Flair was in his deathbed for 11 days and had a long stay in the hospital and the rehab that followed.

In the video, now deleted, Flair also states that he has proof that Zanoni took the money and how the company failed to register six of his trademarks when they were about to expire, adding that WWE came to the rescue to help him lock the trademarks with the USPTO.

In a statement issued yesterday, Legacy Talent and Entertainment said, “Today we have taken the first step and filed a Civil Lawsuit against Richard M. Fliehr a/k/a as Ric Flair and certain unnamed (for now) defendants for defamation per se and look forward to proving the falsity of every wrongful allegation contained in his video that was posted on YouTube on June 3, 2019. Ric Flair having taken down the video is not enough. We will vigorously use the court system to protect our good names and reputations, and obtain damages due to Ric Flair’s defamatory comments contained in the video. We intend to amend the lawsuit to include all involved parties and hold all involved accountable. We completely stand behind our client’s well known reputation for truthfulness, professionalism, honor, and integrity.”