Vince McMahon and WWE File Motion to Move Janel Grant Lawsuit to Arbitration

Attorneys representing Vince McMahon and WWE have filed motions with the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, requesting that the lawsuit filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant be moved to arbitration.

Grant has accused McMahon, WWE, and John Laurinaitis of sexual assault and sex trafficking, claiming she entered into a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) and received an initial $1 million payment out of a total $3 million settlement. According to Grant, McMahon ceased payments after the first installment.

McMahon’s legal team argues that Grant’s claims violate the arbitration provision outlined in the settlement agreement she signed with WWE. The motion emphasizes that the agreement requires all disputes arising from the contract to be resolved through arbitration, not litigation.

Included in the filing is a statement signed by Vince McMahon under penalty of perjury, outlining his account of events.

From the court document:
"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. In January 2022, Plaintiff and Defendant McMahon, each represented by counsel, negotiated and executed the Settlement Agreement... That agreement, which explicitly sought 'to avoid any damage caused by public disclosure of private matters known to Grant and McMahon,' included... a comprehensive agreement to arbitrate any and all disputes."

The motion further claims that Grant breached the settlement agreement by disclosing its existence and the nature of her relationship with McMahon. According to McMahon’s attorneys:
"When Defendant McMahon later learned that Plaintiff... had breached the Settlement Agreement by wrongfully disclosing both the existence of the Settlement Agreement and their relationship, he exercised his contractual right to withhold further payment... In response, Plaintiff sought to besmirch him. She intentionally violated the Settlement Agreement’s arbitration provision and filed a false and defamatory public lawsuit."

McMahon’s motion does not address the substantive allegations in the lawsuit but categorically denies the accusations:
"Defendant McMahon vehemently and categorically denies all allegations of wrongdoing... When the Complaint’s allegations are adjudicated in the proper forum (arbitration), witnesses are called to testify under oath, and all communications between the parties are produced... the allegations and claims will be disproven."

The filing seeks to compel arbitration, arguing that the dispute is contractually barred from being litigated in court.

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