According to POST Wrestling, Federal Judge Sarah F. Russell in Connecticut has accepted former WWE employee Janel Grant’s amended lawsuit against Vince McMahon, and former executive John Laurinaitis and WWE.
POST Wrestling also notes the defendants have now pushed forward to move the case into private arbitration, citing the arbitration clause included in the nondisclosure agreement that Grant and McMahon signed back in January 2022. It was also noted the defendants are now expected to resubmit their motions to force arbitration by June 13, in which Grant could ask for discovery related materials to those motions by June 23.
Russell said the following in her ruling. :
“It is certainly clear that some of Grant’s proposed amendments include facts she knew or should have known when she filed the Complaint.” Russell wrote in the order. “But her newly pleaded facts do not deprive Defendants of their ability to timely assert that her claims are subject to arbitration. I accordingly decline to find her amendments are in bad faith.”
Grant’s representatives provided the following statement to POST Wrestling:
“We’re grateful that Judge Sarah Russell let the facts prevail today and granted our motion to amend Janel Grant’s complaint against Vince McMahon and WWE. The amended complaint is essential to understanding the extent of McMahon’s abuse and trafficking of Ms. Grant and the degree to which WWE failed her. We look forward to moving forward with Ms. Grant’s amended complaint and taking another step toward bringing the truth to light and ensuring Ms. Grant’s allegations against McMahon and WWE are taken seriously.”
Grant’s January 2024 lawsuit alleges sex trafficking, sexual assault and abuse by McMahon and Laurinaitis during the time she was employed by WWE. Both McMahon and Laurinaitis have denied her allegations and have not been charged with any crimes.