Vince McMahon settles with Rita Chatterton (WSJ report)

TW: rape

Decades after former WWF referee Rita Chatterton says Vince McMahon raped her, he has settled with her according to an exclusive report from The Wall Street Journal.

McMahon reportedly “agreed to a multimillion-dollar legal settlement”. This comes weeks after WSJ reported that Chatterton and another woman had come forward with “legal demands”. In November, she had demanded $11.75 million. A person familiar with the settlement claims that Chatterton “agreed to a lesser amount in the millions of dollars”, but WSJ was unable to verify the exact amount.

McMahon’s longtime lawyer, Jerry McDevitt, released a statement that said, “Mr. McMahon denies and always has denied raping Ms. Chatterton. And he settled the case solely to avoid the cost of litigation.”

Chatterton referred WSJ to her lawyer, John Clune. He declined to comment. WSJ has “not been able to determine the status of negotiations with the ex-spa manager.”

Vince McMahon’s payments

In the letter sent to McMahon in November by Clune, WSJ reported that the letter said that it was “hard to overstate” the damage done to Chatterton. He also said she “suffered years of ongoing depression, substance abuse, disordered eating, lost income, and overall a decreased quality of life.”

The settlement with Chatterton was reached in December. WSJ reports that, similarly to other settlements that McMahon made, she was given a “lump sum upfront and annual installments.”

This payment comes after McMahon paid a total of six women a combined total of more than $19 million. Last year, it was discovered that four women received a combined $12 million in hush money. A special board was formed to begin a probe into payments McMahon made without the company’s knowledge. The board has since completed its investigation and dissolved. It is currently unknown what the board found and if their findings will ever be made public.

McMahon forced his way back into WWE

McMahon’s current settlement has come to light just weeks after he forced his way back into WWE after “retiring” last summer. He ousted three board members who were against his return. They were replaced by McMahon and two former WWE co-presidents (whom he previously fired), Michelle Wilson and George Barrios. Two other board members resigned upon McMahon’s return.

Just five days later, his daughter and co-CEO, Stephanie McMahon, resigned. It was framed by the company as her returning to a leave of absence she’d taken before her father “retired”. Immediately after her resignation, Vince was unanimously elected as Executive Chairman. McMahon used the guise of a potential company or media rights sale to return to power. Although he appears to be entertaining the idea of selling the company, the real reason he came back was so he could be in a role of power. Before forcing his way back in, he said he would not approve a sale unless he was made Executive Chairman.

Hours after Stephanie’s resignation, rumors began that WWE was selling to Saudi Arabia’s Investment Fund. At this point in time, WWE has not been sold but there are a variety of companies and people who are exploring the possibility of buying WWE. That includes AEW and ROH owner Tony Khan and his father, Shad Khan.

There is a lot of information overload surrounding both Vince McMahon and WWE. It is prudent to remember what got us here: Vince McMahon using his power and money to wield it over multiple women. He is in a place of power again. He needs to be kept in check.

McMahon may not be dumb, but his ego has repeatedly gotten the best of him and there is the potential that he could harm more women now that he has returned to a position of power. Should he sell WWE and take it private, he will have no accountability to shareholders.  This could be a very dangerous thing should it come to fruition.

Hopefully, Chatterton can fully move forward with her life and get any help that she needs to help her heal. This is the hope for all of the women that McMahon has harmed.

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