WWE & Vince McMahon File New Motions To Move Janel Grant Lawsuit To Arbitration

WWE and Vince McMahon through their attorneys have issued new filings to compel arbitration in the sex trafficking lawsuit filed by Janel Grant. The new filings with the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut were made on December 23.

WWE and Vince McMahon have argued in their separate Memorandum of Law filings that the case should be moved to arbitration as Janel Grant allegedly agreed in the nondisclosure agreement she signed with Vince McMahon in January 2022 that any disputes be settled in arbitration. McMahon also continues to claim in the new Memorandum of Law that his approximately three-year relationship with Janel Grant was consensual.

Janel Grant, within the initial lawsuit filed in January 2024, claimed the NDA was unenforceable, listing the Speak Out Act and the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000.

The lawsuit will head to private mediation if a judge rules the case should be moved to arbitration.

Janel Grant filed a lawsuit against Vince McMahon, WWE, and former WWE Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis in January 2024. Grant accused McMahon of sex trafficking, sexual assault, and physical and emotional abuse. She accused WWE of trying to sweep the allegations against McMahon "under the rug", and accused Laurinaitis of sexual assault.

Vince McMahon, WWE, and John Laurinaitis filed to compel arbitration in the Spring of 2024. The lawsuit was then paused from June 2024 until December 11 following a request from the United States Department of Justice as federal prosecutors for the Southern District of New York are investigating allegations of sex trafficking and sexual misconduct against Vince McMahon dating back to the 1980s. The investigation has been ongoing since 2022 and has continued since Janel Grant's lawsuit resumed.

After the lawsuit resumed, Janel Grant's attorney Ann Callis issued the following statement:

"We are pleased that prosecutors for the Southern District of New York have concluded that they can continue their criminal investigation while we bring forward new evidence in our civil case about the sexual exploitation carried out by Janel Grant's abusers. For the last six months, Ms. Grant has patiently waited to hold Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE accountable for the sex trafficking and abuse she endured at the company on a near daily basis. Her wait is over, and we now look forward to sharing Ms. Grant's story."