I was over at the Cook County Courthouse for Day 4 of the trial of Dr. Chris Amman v CM Punk & Colt Cabana. Here are the notes from the afternoon session.
Continued Testimony of Phil Brooks (CM Punk)
- Punk cannot confirm the definition of Z-Pack. “It’s antibiotics.”
- Punk recalls only officially being prescribed antibiotics once.
- Punk says the rest of his antibiotics were received in a small envelope. He’d text Drs. Amman or Samson, or he’d ask them in person for antibiotics.
- Punk notes he could ask for them anywhere in the building. “Whenever I wanted them.”
- Punk confirms getting Z-Packs from Dr. Samson
- Antibiotic line of questioning is derailed by objection after objection from Amman’s attorney. Judge sustains as Punk’s attorney is not doing a great job of laying foundation for her line of questioning.
- Punk confirms getting a little envelope of antibiotics on 2013 European Tour.
- Punk confirms he was never given paperwork, electronic or otherwise, for antibiotics
- Punk confirms symptoms would get worse as he wrestled, and would subside when he rested.
- Punk’s attorney tries to ask about the Z-Pack stories from the podcast, but can’t ask without leading and is stopped by Amman’s attorney repeatedly, until line of questioning is abandoned.
- Punk confirms being at 2014 Royal Rumble.
- Punk describes the Royal Rumble match rules.
- Punk describes the pre-match meeting that wrestlers attend for Royal Rumble.
- While the eighth graders from the morning session did not return, a few wandered in for Punk’s testimony.
- Punk, about the Royal Rumble being scripted: “Writers don’t have a lot of say in what happens in the ring.”
- “Writers write storylines. Wrestlers put their matches together.”
- Punk describes the process of wrestlers deciding eliminations. Wrestlers are given a list of entry numbers and eliminations and are supposed to build from there.
- Punk can’t recall how many wrestlers he interacted with that day.
- Punk was supposed to be one of the last 4 in the ring.
- Punk describes a clothesline, both the move and the laundry equipment.
- “Is there contact or is there simulated contact?” “Oh no. There’s contact.”
- Punk describes what makes up a wrestling ring.
- Footage of Kofi Kingston clotheslining Punk from the 2014 Royal Rumble is shown.
- Punk confirms clothesline was planned.
- Punk praises Kofi’s athleticism.
- Punk confirms the clothesline gave him a concussion.
- Punk can’t confirm how long he’d been in the Rumble.
- Punk explains a flat back bump.
- Punk says there’s no ill will or blame on Kofi for the concussion. “We probably crowded each other.”
- Punk describes the feeling of being concussed.
- Punk confirms he had no notes for Cabana’s podcast.
- Punk told a camera guy, whom Punk only knows as “Johnny Photo,” to get Dr. Amman.
- Punk stands by his version of the conversation he relayed in podcast.
- Punk confirms feeling “helpless” when Amman responded to his concussion with “What do you want me to do?”
- Punk confirms asking to compose himself mid-match during the 2014 Royal Rumble.
- Punk has started crying.
- Punk describes his judgement in 2014 as “poor.”
SIDEBAR
- 10-15 minute break is called, Judge tells Punk to compose himself.
- Punk agrees that he disagreed with instructions during Royal Rumble.
- Punk says he only had one conversation with Amman during Rumble.
- Punk confirms viewing the entire Royal Rumble PPV(at a later date)
- Punk cannot recall his conversation with Amman happening on screen.
- Video footage of Amman is shown from later in the match, counsel states it is the only time Amman’s face is visible on tv.
- Punk confirms not seeing Amman’s face on TV in his Rumble viewing.
- Punk recalls The Lump first appearing in fall 2013.
- Punk confirms traveling by bus from city to city while working for WWE.
- Punk confirms providing his own bus.”It cut down on wear and tear.”
- Punk confirms changing and showering on bus.
- Punk confirms himself, AJ, Kofi Kingston and the bus driver as the main group that traveled on the bus, but there would be a “rotating crew of people.”
- Punk describes the process of dropping off wrestlers at the arena. After which, Punk would stay on the bus until it was time for him to be at the arena.
- Punk confirms changing on bus.
- Punk confirms changing alone.
Punk is handed a target bag by his attorney.
- Punk defines wrestling gear
- Punk confirms that all of his gear came from a WWE seamstress, Julie.
- Punk is asked to describe his gear: Speedo, trunks, kickpads, etc.
- Punk takes exhibit 119, his speedo, out of the target bag.
- Punk positively identifies the speedo as his speedo.
- Punk mentions that it is the only speedo he ever wore in WWE, and calls the fact a “little piece of WWE Trivia.”
- Punk takes exhibit 120, a pair of black and white wrestling trunks, out of the bag and positively identifies them as his trunks from the 2014 Royal Rumble.
- Punk confirms that he’d wash his speedo in the sink.
- Punk pulls out a pair of shorts that he would wear backstage, so as not to appear bottomless, and positively identifies them.
- Punk says wearing a Gracie hoodie in his entrance was “not typical,” but it was what he had in the bus at the time.
- Punk describes the fit of his gear. Trunks are tighter than speedo.
- Punk shows on his person where The Lump was, points to his beltline.
- Punk claims to still have a scar where The Lump was.
- Punk doesn’t know why he said “back,” and not “butt.”
- Punk points out on his RR trunks that The Lump would’ve been “above or around the star,” on the left side of his waist.
- Punk defines a hydroculator (used to warm hot packs)
- “If no one was in the trainer’s room, I’d do it myself.”
- “I had a bad everything,” Punk, on his injuries.
- Punk points out the area on his lowerback where he would use hot packs.
- Punk said no one ever applied a heat pack near The Lump.
- Punk says he never received a heat pack inside his shorts.
- Punk says Larry Heck never would’ve seen The Lump.
- Heck was never on bus or in shower.
- Punk says he was never undressed around Mark Carrano, John Cone, Tim Gaeng or Larry Heck.
- Punk described the color of The Lump as “purple, reddish, blue.”
- Punk confirms taking no notes about The Lump.
- Punk confirms taking no photos of his butt.
- Punk unsure when The Lump started getting “tough.”
- Punk describes The Lump as “super, super sore,” even when getting dressed.
- Punk said The Lump felt like it was radiating heat.
- “A lot of things hurt, I’m still throwing myself on the ground.”
- Punk confirms Cabana’s account of seeing The Lump.
- “If anyone’s gonna see my butt, that isn’t my wife, it’s Scott.”
- Punk describes the camo shorts entered into evidence as “standard issue…straight edge kid pants.”
- Punk, on wearing shorts in winter: “Shorts and a hoodie, that’s what I wear.”
- Punk says massage therapist from Spa Soak on Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago would’ve seen The Lump.
- “It was hard to miss if I was naked.”
- Massage therapist was told, and asked about The Lump twice.
- Punk confirms AJ was employed by WWE.
Text messages between AJ & Punk, regarding The Lump
- 1/28/2014- “This fucking lump hurts.”
Punk describes this text as “telling [AJ] how my day went,” which got a chuckle from the court. - “I’m going to stab it.” -Punk, joking in a text about The Lump.
- Later text message: “I’m going to poke this growth on my butt. it’s time.”
- AJ: “Let me bring you to a doctor.”
- Punk: “Noooo, baby” “I don’t like ’em.”
- Later text: “This thing on my butt/back fucking hurts. I hate doc Amman for not helping me.”
- When AJ texts Punk, saying she’s on her way to orlando, Punk responds: “I have a giant growth on my upper left butt.”
- Punk, in a text: “This thing is starting to really hurt. I think it’s a person.”
- Punk on 2/13/2014 (date of visit with Physician’s Assistant Patrick Duffy): “Your dreamy doc says its a staph infection.” -Punk believed Duffy was a doctor because AJ believed Duffy was a doctor.
End of text messages
- Punk confirms never texting Amman about The Lump.
- Punk dates showing Amman The Lump in fall of 2013.
- Amman asked how long it’d been there, Punk wasn’t sure, and said it didn’t hurt.
- Punk made no notes, no one was there.
- Punk says this conversation happened in the trainer’s room.
- Punk describes showing Amman The Lump a second time, as Punk was hoping to get it cut out.
- When asked about wrestlers routinely have everything from zits to lumps cut out, Punk says “Wrestlers are a strange breed.”
- Punk says he showed Amman The Lump at the Royal Rumble.
- When asked about comparing The Lump to a baseball, Punk says, “It’s what I said and it’s what it looked like.”
- “It looked raised.”
- Punk on The Lump: “It felt like a giant mass, and it felt like it was on my butt.”
- AJ is present at the Rumble meeting.
- Punk says AJ cared more about Punk’s health than Punk did.
- Punk confirms hundreds backstage at Royal Rumble.
- Punk stands by conversation described in podcast, but “not accurately.”
- Punk described constant pain caused by The Lump.
- Punk stands by his podcast statements, or at least the “gist” of it.
- Punk says golfball and baseball comparisons felt right.
- Punk says The Lump looked like a bruise at the Royal Rumble.
- Punk says Amman said he’d take care of The Lump.
- After the Royal Rumble, Punk felt “hurt,” “furious,” and “confused.”
- Punk recalls asking “cut this fucking thing out of me,” but cannot recall Amman’s response.
- Punk believed Duffy was a doctor, and supposedly told him to take antibiotics for two weeks and then return for removal.
- Punk confirms that Patrick Bateman is “an eccentric serial killer,” played by Christian Bale, and felt that Patrick Duffy looked like Patrick Bateman with white hair.
- Punk stands by description of visit to Duffy, but cannot speak to the intent of the words.
- Punk recalls Duffy calling The Lump staph infection.
- Punk confirms not knowing the difference between Staph and MRSA.
- Text Message from Punk to AJ: “gotta be out on antibiotics for two weeks before he can remove it.”
- Text Message from Punk to AJ: “I’m going to fucking email Vince and bury Dr. Amman.”
- About the idea to email Vince, “I had a eureka moment as to why I’d felt so bad for so long.”
- Text from AJ to Punk: “I can’t believe Dr. Amman didn’t catch that.”
- Text from Punk to AJ: “I showed this to doc twice.”
- AJ and Punk continue to discuss treatment.
- Text from Punk to AJ: “He’s going to cut it open and drain it.”
- Text from Punk to AJ: “This is dumb. Staph can kill you.”
- Punk felt discharge on his neck during procedure, hence podcast comment about fluid hitting the ceiling.
Texts From Punk to AJ, rapid succession it seems:
- “Says its all infected.”
- “They’re squeezing me to death.”
- “I died.”
- “Ugh.”
- “Saying it was a cyst.”
End of text messages.
- Punk confirms memory of Duffy diagnosing The Lump as staph upon initial exam.
- Counsel shows Punk Duffy’s medical report.
- Punk, about antibiotics: “I felt better immediately.”
- There is a series of objections to Punk’s attorney’s next bit of evidence, a page of texts between Punk and his “adopted sister” Chez, and it ends in a furious judge calling a 10-15 minute break, while they determine if the text exchange. Judge is also furious about unwillingness by both sides to set an actual schedule for Monday and Tuesday.
Break
- Judge allows just the first text to be admitted. It is Punk telling Chez about The Lump, the treatment by Duffy, and Amman. This is dated 2/14/2014 (one day after Duffy procedure)
- Punk explains his relationship with Chez.
- Punk stands by the text message.
- Punk felt “relief” after the podcast. “I could move on with my life.”
- Punk never listened to the podcast because “he lived it.”
- Counsel: “Do you feel bad about anything you said in this podcast?” Punk: “No.”
- Punk confirms the text exchange with Colt that ends in “but fuck him.” Him referring to Amman.
- “Everything was the truth, and I think the truth can hurt.”
- “He was threatening my friend with lawyers.”
- Punk stands by the “essential truth” of his story on the podcast.
End of Day 4.
