Memphis fan sues Jerry Lawler for failing to paint portrait of his 33-pound cat

Samuel Hardiman | Memphis Commercial Appeal

Show Caption Hide Caption Jerry Lawler on the cat painting Jerry Lawler is a co-defendant in a lawsuit that alleges he never painted a portrait of a man's cat.

A fan sued pro wrestling great Jerry Lawler over a painting the wrestler allegedly agreed to do — a four by five foot depiction of Bentley, a 33-pound Maine Coon cat. Lawler never painted Bentley and his fluffy belly, however.

And, in June, the fan, Jason Lurie, sued Lawler and Glenn Moore, the former co-host of Lawler's podcast "Dinner with the King," for breach of contract, alleging that $1,750 in goods Lurie paid for, including the painting, were never delivered.

During sworn testimony in Shelby County General Sessions Court Tuesday, Lawler said, "Glenn Moore took advantage of both of us," adding that his former friend had taken $2,500 from him and never paid it back. Late Tuesday, the judge ruled in Lawler's favor.

In recent years, Lawler has become known for his artwork. He often paints scenes of pro wrestling and portraits of wrestlers. He is a WWE Hall of Famer.

Lawler said Moore, whom he had been friends with for eight years, fell on hard times in late-2018 and lost his job. During that period, Lawler said Moore contacted multiple fans without his permission, including Lurie, to sell items, including paintings and some memorabilia items that Lawler didn't even own.

A different fan approached Lawler at an autograph signing in New York to inquire about a painting Moore had promised him, he testified. That was when he learned of what he described as Moore's scams.

Moore, who is a co-defendant in the suit, did not appear in court Tuesday. He has not been served with notice of the suit, according to Lurie's attorney, Brendan McNary.

The cat owner's attorney argued that Lawler is on the hook to return the funds and that past interactions between Lurie and Moore show that Moore and Lawler had a business relationship.

McNary played a snippet of the "Dinner with the King" podcast in which Moore and Lawler discussed the cat painting and how he had yet to do it.

A little of my artwork... https://t.co/f78nmszs54 — Jerry Lawler (@JerryLawler) August 19, 2017

Joe Barton, the wrestler's attorney, and Lawler argued that there was no business relationship between Moore and Lawler. They said Moore handled those transactions as a friend.

Lawler did draw a sketch of Lurie's niece, for which the fan paid $250. Lawler acknowledged that he had received that money for the sketch, but denied receiving $1,750 — $250 for another sketch and $1,500 as a down payment for the painting.

The wrestler said he doesn't enjoy using oil paints in his artwork because it takes too long to paint and dry. He said he raised the price on the painting in an attempt to dissuade Lurie from purchasing it and had been told by Moore that he no longer needed to paint it, which Lurie disputes.

Lawler, in an interview with The Commercial Appeal and in court, said he has offered to paint Bentley, the Maine Coon in question, to make things right with Lurie.

After Tuesday morning's proceeding, Judge Lynn Cobb wrote an order that the plaintiff, Lurie, had failed to demonstrate that Moore was acting on behalf of Lawler.