CM Punk being sued by podcast host over legal bills

CM Punk and Colt Cabana were on the same side defending themselves in a defamation lawsuit just months ago, and now they are set to square off against each other in a different lawsuit.

Punk (real name Phil Brooks) is being sued by his former friend, Cabana (real name Scott Colton), over legal bills amassed defending themselves in their previous case.

Back in Nov. 2014, Punk joined Cabana’s “The Art of Wrestling” podcast and ripped the WWE in somewhat of a tell-all. Punk, who was one of the organization’s most popular wrestlers, had left the WWE in January and that was his first interview on the subject. In the interview, Punk was critical of a WWE doctor, which led to a defamation lawsuit from the physician.

Punk and Cabana were named as defendants in the suit and prevailed, but they racked up enormous legal bills in the process.

According to Cabana’s lawsuit, Punk told him the total bill for the legal fees amounted to $513,736 and that they would need to split the costs.

Cabana claims that Punk had told him in a text message that he would be “100% covered” in the fees, which is why Cabana went along with the suit. At some point later, Cabana switched counsel, leading to issues over the fees. Cabana claims in his lawsuit that he would have complied with the doctor’s cease and desist orders to avoid a lawsuit had Punk not told him he would cover the fees.

Cabana has sued Punk for $200,000 in damages plus another $1 million in punitive and exemplary damages.

Punk, 39, embarked on a career in MMA after leaving the WWE. He has gone 0-2 in the UFC and needed to be hospitalized after his latest loss.