Judge Denies Janel Grant’s Request For Early Discovery In Lawsuit Against Vince McMahon & WWE

The latest update on the suit.

There is a new update on former WWE employee Janel Grant’s sex trafficking lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE. Brandon Thurston of POST Wrestling and Wrestlenomics noted that Judge Sarah F. Russell denied Grant’s request for early discovery, but did indicate that Grant may renew the motion later in the proceedings.

The judge determined that Grant had not established ‘good cause’ for obtaining the records and depositions before the defendants file their motions to ask the court to enforce the contractual agreement that requires the involved parties to resolve disputes through private arbitration as opposed to public court. The judge left the door open to reconsider once the arbitration motions are submitted.

Here is a portion of the order:

Plaintiff [Grant] seeks discovery to support several grounds for avoiding arbitration. The court expresses no opinion as to the merits of these forthcoming arguments, or any other grounds that Plaintiff may choose to assert in opposition to Defendants’ Motions to Compel Arbitration. But the court has determined that it cannot evaluate from the current record whether discovery from Defendants is required to resolve the applicability of defenses Plaintiff may raise to arbitration. Thus, Plaintiff has not met her burden to show good cause for taking discovery before responding to Defendants’ Motions to Compel Arbitration. Plaintiff may renew her Motion for Leave to Take Discovery in conjunction with filing her response in opposition to Defendants’ Motions to Compel. After reviewing the briefing, the court will determine whether to permit the parties to take limited, reciprocal discovery.

The case is moving forward after seven months of inactivity while awaiting the judge’s ruling. The long wait time is within judges’ discretion over the time they may take to make decisions.

Grant, the former WWE employee, initially filed the lawsuit in January 2024. It included former WWE executive John Laurinaitis, but he was dropped from the suit after agreeing to provide evidence for Grant’s case.

Judge Russell has ordered that the two parties meet to decide on future deadlines related to the case.