Vince McMahon & WWE File To Prevent Janel Grant From Obtaining Evidence In Lawsuit

Over a year after Janel Grant and her legal team went public with her allegations against Vince McMahon and WWE, the civil lawsuit still has yet to get started. According to the latest update from Brandon Thurston of Post Wrestling, the prospective defendants filed yesterday to block the release of pre-arbitration discovery requested by Grant's team. Grant's lawyers argue that the evidence will show that Grant was coerced into agreeing to an arbitration clause, while McMahon and WWE's side claims the requested evidence is unrelated to that matter.

Things are currently in a holding pattern as lawyers file motions and counter-motions and the judge waits to decide whether the case goes to court or private arbitration. With the case first submitted in January 2024, it's not clear how long it will be before the judge comes to a decision on the arbitration matter.

McMahon's team referred to the discovery request as a "fishing expedition," implying that Grant's team was desperately attempting to search for evidence by forcing WWE to produce a vast collection of emails and other documents. According to WWE's lawyers, Grant has "failed to allege sufficient facts calling into question the validity of the arbitration provision," and therefore wouldn't have the benefit of motion-related discovery.

Grant is a former WWE employee who has accused McMahon of sexual assault and trafficking. A federal investigation was launched surrounding McMahon following Grant's civil lawsuit, with her lawyers willingly putting the case on hold last year as the investigation played out. No charges were filed against McMahon at the time, and Grant's case once again started moving forward, leading to the recent series of arbitration-related motions.