CM Punk-Colt Cabana-Chris Amann defamation case kicks off

Even though one of the legal combatants is set to compete in the UFC in less than two weeks, the trial of Phil Brooks (CM Punk) and Scott Colton (Colt Cabana) vs. WWE doctor Chris Amann began Tuesday in the Cook County courthouse in Chicago, IL.

Amann filed a defamation suit against Brooks and Colton in February 2015 following comments the two made on Cabana’s podcast in November 2014. Brooks claimed, among other things, that Amann dismissed a growth on his back that eventually turned into a staph infection.

While there were no cameras, Chicago Tribune City Hall reporter Gregory Pratt dropped by to check out some of the proceedings. Below are some notes from his Twitter feed:

– There wasn’t a crowd in the gallery. In fact, Pratt said he was the only one in attendance while he was there.

– The jury heard the entire episode of the podcast in question Tuesday including all of the plugs, etc.

– Pratt said that he was unsure how long the trial was going to last, but that both sides were very thorough. 

– From what he heard, Pratt said he expected Amann to return to the stand Wednesday.

– Pratt said Brooks was serious and attentive for most of the day, but did appear “visibly amused” and laughed a bit at some parts of the podcast.

– Pratt thought Brooks appeared to be in shape and was wearing a nice suit.

Brooks is set to open up the PPV portion of UFC 225 against Mike Jackson on Saturday, June 9th.