WWE & Vince McMahon file motion to block Janel Grant from accessing new evidence: Report

The lawsuit, filed in January 2024, accuses Vince McMahon of sex trafficking and sexual abuse.

WWE and Vince McMahon have officially contested Janel Grant from accessing new evidence before the court rules on whether her sex trafficking lawsuit against McMahon and WWE will proceed to private arbitration.

Janel Grant, former WWE employee, filed a lawsuit in January 2024, alleging sex trafficking and sexual abuse against McMahon.

What Happened?

Grant’s legal team last week sought a wide range of internal communications from WWE and Vince McMahon, including board documents, NDA drafts, and other materials reviewed by federal investigators, to support their challenge about the enforceability of the arbitration clause in the NDA signed by McMahon and Grant.

According to a new report by Brandon Thurston of POST Wrestling, WWE and Vince McMahon have filed motions arguing that Grant has failed to meet the legal standard for pre-arbitration discovery, and have accused her of seeking documents unrelated to whether she was coerced into agreeing to arbitration.

“The Court should refuse to indulge Plaintiff’s [Grant’s] improper fishing expedition and deny the Motion in full,” Vince’s legal team wrote.

WWE’s legal team asserted in their filing that Grant is not entitled to discovery related to the motion, claiming she has failed to provide enough evidence to question the validity of the arbitration clause.

“Grant is not entitled to motion-related discovery. She has entirely failed to allege sufficient facts calling into question the validity of the arbitration provision.”

In a statement given to POST by Grant’s team argued that McMahon and WWE are attempting to block basic discovery requests, pointing out that if they have nothing to hide, they should embrace the “opportunity for transparency.”

McMahon and WWE are attempting TO block basic discovery requests “that go [to] the heart of whether the NDA and its arbitration clause are valid. If they have nothing to hide, they should embrace this opportunity for transparency.”

Furthermore, McMahon’s team contended that if Grant’s claims were accurate, she would already have proof of being coerced, such as text messages or emails she received.

Janel Grant will now have to file a response by July 11

Grant is now required to submit a response to the motions by July 11. WWE and McMahon are scheduled to respond to her objections by August 1. Both defendants have asked for a court hearing to address the arbitration issue, which may occur after August 1, pending the judge’s approval.

Grant’s initial lawsuit was filed in January 2024 and accuses Vince McMahon of sex trafficking and sexual abuse. Vince resigned from his position at TKO Group following the allegations.

WWE and McMahon have argued that the case should be moved to private arbitration, citing the arbitration clause in the $3 million nondisclosure agreement that Grant and McMahon signed in January 2022. However, Grant contends that this clause is not valid.

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