The man WWE’s Ludwig Kaiser is charged with battering claims he suffered a torn rotator cuff and a concussion in their April altercation, according to a new filing in the case in Orange County, Florida.
Kaiser, whose real name is Marcel Barthel, is facing a misdemeanor battery charge over the April 23 incident at an Orlando apartment complex where he and the alleged victim, Richard Reap, both lived. Kaiser’s defense filed a motion on November 12 asking the court to issue a subpoena for Reap’s medical records. The filing states that Reap claims he suffered a torn rotator cuff and a concussion and sought medical care for the injuries.
The defense argues the records are vital to preparing its case and to evaluating the nature of Reap’s injuries. The requested subpoena would cover medical and billing records from April 23 through November 12, limited to the injuries Reap attributes to the incident.
Assistant State Attorney Juanda Padgett originally agreed to share Reap’s medical records with the defense, but Reap objected through his attorney. Kaiser’s defense filed a motion to compel earlier this week before filing the new motion. Reap’s attorney and Padgett have both said they object to the subpoena, according to the filing.
The two accounts
Reap says Kaiser and his girlfriend, Andrea Bazarte, were kissing in an elevator when he told them to “please have some manners,” and that Kaiser then punched him multiple times and pushed him to the ground.
Kaiser disputes that account. He says Reap swore at him and Bazarte and made a racist remark threatening to call ICE on Bazarte. Kaiser admits pushing Reap but says he did so only after Reap came toward him aggressively. He has pleaded not guilty.
Kaiser’s defense tried to have the case dismissed under Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law, arguing he needed to use that force to protect himself and Bazarte, but a judge denied the motion last month.
A pre-trial conference is scheduled for December 17. If the case goes to trial without further delays, a trial period of January 4-22, 2027, is currently listed. Reap has hired his own attorney, which could signal a possible civil case against Kaiser.
Kaiser has been allowed to travel and keep working for WWE while the case proceeds.
