VICE’s Tim Marchman reports the NDAs that were signed by several women with Vince McMahon were created and signed without the knowledge of WWE, as McMahon signed them on the company’s behalf.
The report comes from a “person familiar with the situation.” It was noted the detail is the reason why WWE previously had to issue revised earning statements following the summer of 2022 scandal once the hush money payments to women he allegedly had sexual affairs with came out to the public, leading to him to “retire.”
Marchman reported after talking with legal experts that the terms in the aforementioned NDAs are likely unenforceable because they were just like former WWE employee Janel Grant’s situation, as McMahon paid $1 million of the $3 million agreed to likely make any deal null and void.
Grant’s lawsuit is against McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE, which was accusations of McMahon of sex trafficking and sexual abuse.
The story noted, “An NDA cannot be used as a shield to prevent a victim from bringing criminal charges or speaking to investigators. If these women or others desire to speak out in public or bring civil suits, though, it’s not clear that an agreement like the one Grant signed would prevent that.”
Laurinaitis’ lawyer stated in a statement that his client was a victim like Grant under McMahon’s control. The story notes this is when the revelation of McMahon signing the agreements in secret came to be. McMahon did so after getting counsel from longtime lawyer Jerry McDevitt.
“According to a source familiar with the matter, though, the contract was in fact executed, with McMahon secretly signing on both his behalf and that of WWE after seeking counsel from his longtime attorney, Jerry McDevitt, a seeming conflict of interest Goldberg called “bizarre.”
It was reported today that the allegations are being investigated by prosecutors in New York who have been in contact with women who have accused the former WWE CEO.
Carrie Goldberg, who represented victims of Harvey Weinstein, was quoted for the piece and noted the copy Grant filed in the lawsuit wasn’t signed by McMahon “in either his personal capacity or role as then-chair of WWE” as “normally, all parties would receive an executed copy of the contract.”
