The lawsuit against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis and WWE has been officially paused for 6 months.
In January 2024, Vince McMahon was accused by former WWE employee Janel Grant of multiple instances of sexual misconduct and trafficking. The allegations led to McMahon resigning from all executive positions while denying all allegations. Laurinaitis and WWE have also been named as defendants in the case. Laurinaitis previously stated that he was also a victim of McMahon but later sided with the former Chairman of the Board when McMahon filed for arbitration.
On Tuesday, June 11th, Judge Jeffery A. Meyer issued an order of stay on the case meaning that the lawsuit will not resume until December 11th as a federal investigation is pending from the Southern District of New York. Grant’s team agreed to pause the lawsuit on May 30th at the request of the US Justice Department.
Prior to the case being paused, all 3 defendants filed a motion to compel arbitration in the case and Grant’s team filed a separate motion to strike the request. In addition to the lawsuit being paused, the court has denied the motion “without prejudice,” meaning that the motions can be renewed two weeks after the case is resumed. Grant’s motion has also been denied as it is deemed moot due to the aforementioned arbitration denial. The argument for arbitration by the defendants is that this was the terms of the NDA that was signed by Grant in 2022.
Vince McMahon’s Representative Responds
Shortly after the case was paused, a statement from a representative of McMahon was issued to Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics:
Mr. McMahon is eager to prove Ms. Grant’s claims are false and expose her lies, but did not object to the government’s request to pause the matter in connection with the investigation regarding disclosures at WWE. Following the six-month stay, when his legal team is able to get discovery and depose Ms. Grant and others, the evidence will show the relationship was consensual and Ms. Grant’s allegations are malicious fabrications of a jilted lover.
The day before the lawsuit was officially paused, John Laurinaitis filed a sworn statement.
As of December 2024, the Vince McMahon lawsuit is set to resume.