Vince McMahon, WWE, and Janel Grant Seek to Move Sex Trafficking Lawsuit to Confidential Arbitration
Janel Grant, Vince McMahon, and WWE filed a joint motion to move Grant's sex trafficking and sexual abuse lawsuit out of public court and into confidential arbitration, which a federal judge granted on June 12, 2026. The case, originally filed in January 2024, had previously seen Grant resist arbitration, arguing she was coerced into signing the NDA that contained the arbitration clause. The shift to private proceedings means the dispute will likely no longer be litigated in public view, raising concerns about transparency in a high-profile case involving serious allegations.
Janel Grant, the former WWE employee who sued Vince McMahon and WWE in January 2024 alleging sexual assault and sex trafficking, has joined the defendants in requesting that the case be moved to confidential arbitration. The joint motion was filed June 11, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, and Judge Sarah F. Russell granted it the following day, canceling a June 16 hearing. The defendants had long sought arbitration based on a clause in the $3 million nondisclosure agreement Grant signed with McMahon in 2022, while Grant had previously argued the NDA was signed under duress and the arbitration provision should not be enforced. No explanation was given for Grant's change in position, and her attorney did not respond to requests for comment. The parties must file a joint status report by July 10, 2026, and if no arbitration agreement is reached by then, a court hearing will be scheduled for August. McMahon, who resigned from TKO in January 2024 following the lawsuit's filing, continues to deny all allegations. Former WWE executive John Laurinaitis, also accused of sexual assault by Grant, was previously dropped as a defendant after agreeing to provide evidence in May 2025.
What's missing
The reason for Grant's reversal in position — from opposing arbitration as coerced to jointly requesting it — is not explained by any party in the available sources, which is a significant gap given that her duress argument had been a central legal issue in the case.
How coverage differed
Fox News framed the development primarily as a procedural 'twist' and emphasized McMahon's maintained innocence and TKO's distancing from him, while POST Wrestling provided more detailed legal context, including Grant's prior duress argument against arbitration and the significance of her change in position, as well as the judge's ruling and updated deadlines.
What different sources said
- POST WrestlingCenter
Janel Grant, Vince McMahon, and WWE jointly ask court to move sex trafficking lawsuit out of public and into arbitration
- Fox NewsRight
WWE, Vince McMahon sex trafficking lawsuit gets new twist
Related
CIS Study: Non-Citizen Households Use Welfare at Higher Rates Than U.S.-Born Households in Nearly Every State
A new analysis by the Center for Immigration Studies found that 47% of non-citizen-headed households used at least one means-tested welfare program, compared to 28% of U.S.-born-headed households. The study drew on five years of Census Bureau data and found the gap persisted across nearly every state, with the largest disparities in New York, Massachusetts, and California. The findings reignite a long-running debate over immigration and public benefit usage, though the methodology has been contested by other researchers.
Pilot Killed in Small Plane Crash Near Twin Oaks Airpark in Washington County, Oregon
A small two-seater experimental plane crashed into a grassy field near Twin Oaks Airpark in Hillsboro, Oregon on Friday afternoon, killing its sole occupant. The crash occurred during takeoff and sparked a grass fire that spread to a nearby field before firefighters contained it. The NTSB and FAA are investigating the cause, and flights at the airpark were canceled for the remainder of the day.
Ohio Police Chief Arrested in Florida on 70-Count Child Sex Indictment
Bethel Police Chief Chad Essert, 44, was arrested Tuesday night in Seminole, Florida, following a Clermont County grand jury indictment on 56 counts of sexual battery and 14 counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. The alleged offenses occurred between 2005 and 2010, when Essert was an instructor with the Young Marines program and a teacher at Scarlet Oaks Career Campus in Sharonville, Ohio. If convicted on all counts, Essert faces a maximum of 280 years in prison, and authorities are urging any additional potential victims to come forward.