Judge approves Janel Grant’s request to amend lawsuit against Vince McMahon, WWE

A federal judge has granted Janel Grant’s request to file an amended complaint in her lawsuit against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE.

Grant is seeking to revise her complaint, originally filed in January 2024, to include details about WWE’s settlement with the SEC over undisclosed payments, expanded allegations of abuse, the naming of alleged enablers, and efforts to obtain medical records from a physician she says was paid by McMahon.

The defendants argued that Grant’s amendments were filed in bad faith to attract media attention. They also objected to the inclusion of SEC findings and allegations involving Grant’s treatment with McMahon’s physician, stating they are irrelevant. They also claimed the delay in filing was too long.

“McMahon further posits that the amendments are made in bad faith, suggesting they are designed to capture media interest rather than strengthen Grant’s substantive legal arguments,” Judge Sarah F. Russell wrote in summarizing the defense’s position.

However, she rejected those claims in her ruling on Tuesday, stating that the defense had not met “the high burden of proving the amendments will unduly prejudice” them.

“It is certainly clear that some of Grant’s proposed amendments include facts she knew or should have known when she filed the Complaint,” Russell wrote. “But her newly pleaded facts do not deprive Defendants of their ability to timely assert that her claims are subject to arbitration. I accordingly decline to find her amendments are in bad faith.”

The physician referenced in the suit is believed to be Carlon Colker of Peak Wellness, who this week filed a defamation lawsuit against Grant’s attorney Ann Callis and her Holland Law firm.

Grant has until May 14 to submit the amended complaint. The case is awaiting a ruling on whether the lawsuit will be moved to arbitration. WWE has until June 13 to refile its motion to compel arbitration, and Grant will have until June 23 to respond.

Russell also noted that “the amendments will have little impact on Defendants’ stated plan to brief a motion to compel arbitration.”

The full ruling from Judge Sarah F. Russell is available via CourtListener.

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