WWE responds to Janel Grant’s lawsuit and supports Vince McMahon’s push for the case to go to arbitration.
In January, Janel Grant filed a lawsuit against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE. She alleged that McMahon and Laurinaitis engaged in sexual assault and sex trafficking of her. McMahon denied the allegations, but he resigned from WWE and TKO, and he is under federal investigation.
WWE has now responded to the lawsuit; the company has supported Vince McMahon’s motion for arbitration. The company also submitted a Memorandum of Law, in which they state that they dispute Grant’s allegations but not that the matter “cannot be heard in court because Grant agreed to arbitrate her claims.”
WWE also argues that Grant does not have actionable claims because “ecause the separation and non-disclosure agreement she signed with McMahon and WWE (the “Agreement”)—the monetary benefits of which she concededly accepted and retained—contains an arbitration provision that unambiguously precludes this Court from adjudicating her claims.” H/t John Pollock of POST Wrestling)
Furthermore, WWE cites the non-disclosure agreement that Grant signed in 2022, in which she agreed to waive any right to pursue a lawsuit or make legal claims against McMahon or WWE. WWE also argues that the agreement includes “a clear and unambiguous arbitration provision.”
WWE also counters Grant’s side’s argument that the NDA was made nonbinding by the Speak Out Act and Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 by asserting that the laws do not apply to arbitration.
WrestleZone will provide more information as it becomes available.
