Posted in: Sports, TV, WWE | Tagged: tko, Vince McMahon, wrestling, wwe

Vince McMahon Seeks Arbitration in Sexual Misconduct Lawsuit

A new legal filing on behalf of Vince McMahon seeks to force Janel Grant's lawsuit out of the courts due to stipulations in an NDA agreement.

Vince McMahon and his legal team have responded to the bombshell lawsuit filed against McMahon, WWE, and former WWE executive John Laurenitis with a motion attempting to force the dispute into arbitration. McMahon's lawyers claim that since the nondisclosure agreement former employee Janel Grant signed in exchange for 3 million dollars originally specified that any disputes would be handled in arbitration and that "the prevailing party in the arbitration 'shall be entitled to recover from the non-prevailing party all of its attorney's fees and costs.'" Additionally, the filing claims Grant "agreed, among other things, to release Defendant of all claims she ever had "as a result of, or in connection with her employment relationship with WWE, the termination of that employment relationship, and/or any and all matters involved in her relationship with McMahon and/or other WWE personnel."

The filing also states that "under the Agreement, 'Grant agrees that she shall not institute or be a party to any lawsuits, either individually or as a class representative or member against McMahon and/or WWE as to any matters up to the date of execution of this Agreement,' and that 'Grant knowingly and intentionally waives any right to any additional recovery that might be sought on her behalf by any other person, entity, or local, state or federal government or agency thereof.'"

It also goes on to claim that it was Grant who violated the NDA first, not McMahon, by stopping payments:

Defendant paid Plaintiff the first payment specified in Section V(A) of the Agreement in the amount of $1,000,000; however, because Plaintiff failed to comply with her confidentiality obligations (which she breached by disclosing her relationship with Defendant), Defendant did not pay her the first of the four $500,000 installments specified in Section V(B). Then, rather than sue Defendant for breach of contract in arbitration, in complete disregard of the clear terms of the Agreement and her obligations thereunder, Plaintiff initiated the instant action on January 25, 2024, alleging various causes of action against Defendant, WWE, and defendant John Laurinaitis ("Laurinaitis," the former Head of Talent Relations and General Manager of WWE) (Compl. ¶ 37). The allegations in the Complaint are replete with falsehoods, misstatements, and irresponsible mischaracterizations of the Parties' relationship.

After citing a lot of legal precedents, the filing concludes by asking "that the Court grant his motion and compel arbitration of all claims asserted in the Complaint and stay the litigation pending arbitration." Read the full filing here.

Filed earlier this year, the lawsuit filed by Grant accused McMahon of sexually trafficking, abusing, and assaulting Grant during a time she was both an employee of WWE and engaged in a relationship with McMahon. In the wake of the lawsuit, McMahon resigned from all roles at WWE and parent TKO, where he served as Executive Chairman after selling WWE to Endeavor and merging it with UFC under the TKO name. McMahon executed the sale in 2023 after forcing his way back into power after being compelled to retire in 2022 due to an internal investigation into hush money payments made to multiple women. While McMahon remains the subject of an investigation by the federal government for those payments made to Grant and others totaling millions of dollars, he has denied all allegations against him.

In addition to denying Grant's claims about McMahon's action, the filing also contextualizes their relationship as an open relationship, with Grant living with a fiance in the same building where McMahon lived. It also accuses Grant of lying about her grief over her parents' death and whether Grant personally cared for her ailing parents, conditions that the original lawsuit put forth as reasons Grant was particularly vulnerable. Grant's lawyer responded to the filing in a statement:

Vince McMahon has never known a storyline that he doesn't twist to fit his own shameful narrative. Her father was in in-home hospice during his final days where Janel continued to care for him around the clock. Prior to his death, she had been caring for her blind, wheelchair-bound mother. Using the grief of someone who lost both of her parents is an all new level of disgusting.

She was not dating at the time. Her ex-boyfriend allowed her to stay in the apartment as she rebuilt her life and resume post-taking care of her parents. She had no job and no other financial support to lean back on.

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