After reaching a settlement with the SEC over improperly reported hush-money payments tied to sexual assault allegations during his time as a WWE executive, Vince McMahon stated this wrapped up the SEC’s investigation, though the status of the federal investigation by the Southern District of New York remains unclear.
Writing in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer shared an update on Janel Grant’s civil lawsuit against McMahon, WWE, and former executive John Laurinaitis, noting the defendants are pushing to move things to private arbitration based on Grant’s NDA. Grant’s attorney Ann Callis has filed paperwork hinting at a possible new lawsuit, though it’s not yet clear if this would replace or add to the current civil case. Callis has asked for time with the judge and other attorneys to discuss evidence and potential settlement options.
The case has a new judge now after the previous one passed away – Judge Sarah F. Russell, who’ll need to decide whether to send things to arbitration or keep them in civil court. Grant’s legal team has until the end of January to respond to the arbitration request.
The lawsuit itself centers on serious allegations, with Grant accusing McMahon of sexual assault and trafficking while claiming Laurinaitis was directly involved and other WWE officials knew what was happening.
