According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, WWE Executive Chairman Vince McMahon and former referee Rita Chatterton agreed to a multi-million dollar legal settlement this past December.
It is being said Chatterton will not receive the $11.75 million in damages that she initially was seeking. The exact amount she agreed upon is not known. Furthermore, WSJ notes that the settlement calls for an upfront lump sum and annual installments, similar to the agreements that Vince made to other women he had non-disclosure agreements with.
Chatterton, who is the first female referee in the history of WWE, made a legal demand of Vince McMahon last November for damages from rape allegations going back to 1986.
In a statement made to the Wall Street Journal, Vince McMahon’s attorney Jerry McDevitt said “Mr. McMahon denies and always has denied raping Ms. Chatterton. And he settled the case solely to avoid the cost of litigation.”
It was further noted that despite the incident being from 1986, Chatterton’s legal demand became possible due to a one-year window in New York State which allows victims of sex crimes to file lawsuits that would otherwise be barred by the statute of limitations. The letter sent to Vince McMahon’s legal team was sent weeks before that window opened.
McMahon had initially sued Chatterton back in 1993, claiming she was induced by a disgruntled wrestler to make false rape allegations against him. McMahon had later dropped the case, citing he needed to do so in order to focus on his 1994 steroid trial.
Secondary source: F4WOnline