Vince McMahon seeks arbitration in lawsuit; Janel Grant's attorney responds

On Tuesday, Vince McMahon's legal team issued a memorandium in which he denies the allegations in Janel Grant's lawsuit. He claims that his relationship with Grant was consensual. The filing says that McMahon "never coerced Plaintiff into doing anything and never mistreated her in any way."

McMahon's team is arguing that his NDA for Grant contains an arbitration clause and is pushing for private arbitration. In Grant's lawsuit, attorney Ann Callis argues that the NDA should be voided.

McMahon's team also argues that when McMahon met Grant in 2019, she was not taking care of her parents, nor was she “dealing with profound grief [from her parents’ deaths] and struggling financially”. The memorandium says that based on "a foreclosure action against Plantiff and her parents", Grant's father died in 2017 and her mother passed before that.

Callis released a statement in response to the legal filing. “Vince McMahon has never known a storyline that he doesn’t twist to fit his own shameful narrative. Her father was in in-home hospice during his final days where Janel continued to care for him around the clock. Prior to his death, she had been caring for her blind, wheelchair-bound mother. Using the grief of someone who lost both of her parents is an all new level of disgusting.”

In the filing, McMahon claims that Grant was living with her "long-time fiancé Brain Goncalves" in the same buidling as McMahon and that they lived four floors below.

"Plaintiff would often visit Defendant at his condominium at all hours, including at 2:30 a.m., to pursue their affair and then return back to her condominium with Goncalves the same night. It is nonsensical that the disturbing alleged acts in the Complaint including violence, coerced sex, and forcing Plaintiff to be defecated on were taking place before Plaintiff returned to her lawyer fiancé four floors below without incident. "

"Defendant was never contacted by Goncalves (who was on the Board of the luxury building), anyone at the building, the police, any friends of Plaintiff, or any lawyer or advocate for Plaintiff at any time about the fictitious, extensive, years-long abusive behavior alleged in the Complaint."

Callis also responded to this claim. “She was not dating at the time. Her ex-boyfriend allowed her to stay in the apartment as she rebuilt her life and resume post-taking care of her parents. She had no job and no other financial support to lean back on.”

The filing also brings up a "love letter" he says that Grant wrote to him. The letter was publsihed by the New York Post the Monday before WrestleMania 40.

"In fact, in a love letter Plaintiff wrote to Defendant shortly before the Parties ended their relationship, Plaintiff described Defendant as “[m]y best friend, my love and my everything,” praising him for being the “wonderful, tender, vulnerable, heart-on-your-sleeve soul you really are.'"

Callis released a statement soon after it's publication.  

"Frankly it's pretty disgusting that Vince's weeks-late attempt to defend his horrendous behavior - behavior he claims to this day never happened - is to try to showcase letters that Vince himself coerced her to write. His psychological torture of her continues--as is typical of abusive predators who respond to women speaking out with increased threats. While Janel isn't a stranger to his intimidation tactics, this is a new low even for him."

In the filing, McMahon sternly denies some of the allegations in the lawsuit and calls her a liar.

"For the avoidance of doubt, however, Defendant vehemently and categorically denies all allegations of wrongdoing in the Complaint, including Plaintiff’s outrageous claims that Defendant coerced Plaintiff into unwanted sexual acts, sexually assaulted and/or battered her, trafficked her, and defecated on her. Those are false statements intended for publicity. When the Complaint’s allegations are adjudicated in the proper forum (arbitration), witnesses are called to testify under oath, and all communications between the Parties (including those authored by Plaintiff which she intentionally did not share in her Complaint) are produced, the allegations and claims will be disproven and Plaintiff will be exposed for the liar she is."

On Wednesday, Callis filed a motion to strike McMahon's arbitration request. She also requested that he be admonished for using the court to mudsling.

"Yet even if McMahon’s falsities concerning Janel’s private life were true (they are not), these statements have no bearing on the merits of Janel’s claims, let alone the Motion. McMahon’s statements have no place in the Motion, which should be concerned solely with whether this dispute must be submitted to arbitration."

On Wednesay afternoon, McMahon's attorney, Jessica Rosenburg, sent a comment to Wrestlenomics. “Plaintiff had no right to bring this case in a public court but did so anyway. Now that she chose this public forum to falsely accuse Mr. McMahon, she wants to silence his ability to respond. She can’t have it both ways.”

Back in March, the four corporate officers in Grant's lawsuit were revealed. WWE President Nick Khan and WWE COO Brad Blum were named as Corporate Officers No.1 and No. 2, respectively. McMahon's daughter, Stephanie McMahon is Coporate Officer No. 3. Lastly, former WWE's former head of legal, Brian Nurse is listed as Corporate Officer No. 4. Callis confirmed the identites of all four.