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Attorneys for Vince McMahon, WWE and Janel Grant filed a joint motion for a brief postponement of their upcoming hearing as they seek to move the case to confidential arbitration.
Grant filed a lawsuit against McMahon and WWE, accusing the former pro wrestling mogul of sexual assault and sex trafficking. McMahon stepped down as CEO of WWE in 2022 and stepped down from TKO in 2024 after the initial lawsuit was filed.
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Then-TKO CEO Vince McMahon appears during a ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange in New York City on January 23, 2024, announcing that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has joined TKO’s board of directors. (Michelle Farsi/Zuffa LLC)
“The parties are in active discussions regarding a potential agreement to arbitrate the dispute in confidential arbitration that would address these motions,” read a document filed in Connecticut District Court. “They are seeking this relief in good faith to avoid unnecessarily consuming the Court’s and the parties’ resources – so they can focus on advancing the potential arbitration agreement. The parties respectfully propose that the Court temporarily adjourn the hearing and allow them to file a joint status report within 21 days.”
A hearing on “Defendants’ Motion to Compel Arbitration and Plaintiffs’ Renewed Motion for Leave to Serve Motion-Related Discovery” was set for June 16.
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Former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon makes a ring appearance during the WWE Monday Night Raw show at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev., on August 24, 2009. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Grant, who worked at WWE from June 2019 to 2022, claimed she was “subjected to repeated physical and emotional abuse, sexual assault and sex trafficking” by McMahon, and “most senior officials and talent knew about and facilitated the abuse” she experienced.
She has made various graphic claims against McMahon in separate documents filed in the case.
McMahon has maintained his innocence throughout the trial.
TKO Group told The Associated Press in January 2024 that it took Grant’s allegations “very seriously.”
The WWE logo is seen above a trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York City on September 13, 2019. (Richard Drew/AP Photo)
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“Mr. McMahon does not control TKO, nor does he oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE,” the company said at the time. “Although this matter predates our TKO executive team’s tenure with the company, we take Ms. Grant’s horrific allegations very seriously and are handling this matter internally.”
