Vince McMahon has reportedly settled a lawsuit from a former WWE referee Rita Chatterton who accused him of rape. According to the Wall Street Journal, Chatterton, who became the first female referee in the history of WWE, claimed she was assaulted in his limousine back in 1986, and though she came forward about McMahon’s alleged misconduct back in 1992, the statute of limitations had already run out.
Her accusation against the wealthy businessman resurfaced last year when McMahon was investigated for allegedly paying women to stay quiet about sexual relationships he was having at the company. Chatterton’s legal team went ahead and filed a legal demand under a New York law that allows victims of sexual assault to file lawsuits outside of the normal statute of limitations — and McMahon apparently didn’t hesitate to pay up.
Vince McMahon just paid a multi-million settlement to a former referee who accused him of rape.
Disgusting. Dude is a menace.
— Wrestling Observations (@WrestlerObserv1) January 19, 2023
Per the aforementioned publication, Chatterton was reportedly looking to receive $11.75 million in damages, but she ended up settling for a lesser amount, though the exact figure has not been disclosed. Speaking of the settlement, McMahon’s attorney said, “Mr. McMahon denies and always has denied raping Ms. Chatterton. And he settled the case solely to avoid the cost of litigation.” This comes just over a week after McMahon announced he would be returning as a board member of WWE following his controversial exit last year.
Though his daughter, Stephanie McMahon, went on to replace her father amid the scandal, it looks as if the 77-year-old didn’t want to retire after all. In a statement shared earlier this month, McMahon confirmed that he would reprise his role as head of WWE in a surprise move that was sure to leave a lot of people stunned.
In his announcement, the father of two insisted it was solely for “upcoming media rights negotiations” and “increased industry-wide demand for quality content and live events.”
Vince McMahon has agreed to a multimillion-dollar legal settlement with Rita Chatterton who accused him of raping her in 1986, according to people familiar with the agreement.
McMahon’s settlement with Rita Chatterton was completed last month.
– WSJ pic.twitter.com/9BKiJ0Ubfa
— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) January 19, 2023
“The only way for WWE to fully capitalize on this opportunity is for me to return as Executive Chairman and support the management team in the negotiations for our media rights and to combine that with a review of strategic alternatives,” he said in a statement. “My return will allow WWE, as well as any transaction counterparties, to engage in these processes knowing they will have the support of the controlling shareholder.”