In what can only be described as the most WWE way to handle a legal debacle, Vince McMahon and WWE’s legal team have filed motions to move Janel Grant’s explosive lawsuit into the steel cage of arbitration. According to PWInsider, Grant’s claims include allegations of sex trafficking, abuse, and unpaid compensation under a non-disclosure agreement (NDA)—a laundry list of issues that make the WWE’s Hell in a Cell matches look tame by comparison.
McMahon’s legal defense reads like a promo straight from the Attitude Era: the relationship was “consensual,” the $3 million settlement was a mutual understanding, and arbitration is their desired venue for this bout. Grant, however, has accused the Chairman of not living up to his end of the deal, citing unpaid settlement funds and a blatant disregard for her well-being.
In the motion, filed just two days before Christmas (because nothing says “holiday cheer” like legal filings), McMahon’s team argues:
“The Settlement Agreement was drafted when Plaintiff and Defendant McMahon, who had engaged in a consensual, intimate relationship for approximately three years, sought to memorialize the end of that relationship… That agreement… explicitly sought ‘to avoid any damage caused by public disclosure of private matters.'”
Translation? “Let’s not air our dirty laundry, but also, here’s a list of our grievances in the loudest court possible.”
Grant claims McMahon owes her the remaining $2 million from their NDA settlement after paying her an initial $1 million. McMahon’s side? He allegedly stopped payment because of a breach of contract. Oh, and don’t forget the denial of any wrongdoing because of course.
This legal saga is far from McMahon’s only headline-grabbing controversy. Remember when he allegedly dipped into WWE funds for hush money payments? Or when he “voluntarily” left WWE in 2023, only for Endeavor’s acquisition to body-slam his dreams of a comeback? This latest case could be the legal equivalent of being counted out by the ref.