Vince McMahon could face more trouble from former WWE employees as NDA details emerge - Report
Former WWE President Vince McMahon is one of the biggest names in the business world, thanks to his billionaire status. According to Forbes, the man is the 1,119th richest person in the world as of Friday, with an estimated net worth of $2.8 billion.
However, after Janel Grant's allegations shook the wrestling world, McMahon's legacy is seemingly tainted forever. He was already accused of sexual misconduct in 2022, forcing him to temporarily retire. But the former WWE Chairman managed to make a comeback in January 2023.
Tim Marchman of VICE put out a new report, which implies that similar to Janel Grant's situation, other women who signed non-disclosure agreements can also file a case against McMahon if they want. The report alleges that some of these NDAs were created and signed without the knowledge of the Stamford-based promotion. The 78-year-old signed them on the company's behalf.
The report featured a message Jodi Short (a professor at UC Law San Francisco who’s studied NDAs) sent to VICE:
"It is my considered opinion," Jodi Short wrote in an email to VICE News, "that NDAs such as the one you sent me are unenforceable under common law contract doctrine. But there is very little case law squarely on point, and litigating such a case would expose an individual to enormous cost and litigation risk. That’s why most people end up silenced by NDAs even if, technically, they’re not worth the paper they’re written on. It’s not just the paper. It’s paper backed by an extreme asymmetry in resources between the two parties." [H/T: Vice]
Carrie Goldberg, a lawyer who represented victims of Harvey Weinstein, agreed with Jodi Short's statement. While the survivors do not owe debts to society, and an NDA is worthless as a matter of legal theory, to prove it in a court of law would be an "arduous process" without a certain outcome.
Mick Foley calls the former WWE President's scandal "really ugly"
Recently, WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley hosted the final episode of his podcast Foley Is Pod. In it, he expressed how upsetting it was to hear the news about the s*x trafficking and related accusations against his former employer.
Foley compared it to late WWE Superstar Chris Benoit's family tragedy in 2007, which was the ultimate low point for World Wrestling Entertainment:
"Anyone who's listened to a single episode knows the great fondness I have for Mr. McMahon," Foley said. "I don't know all the facts but, man, it's really ugly. I feel some very similar [feelings], just like that dead inside feeling the way I had in 2007 after the Benoit murders."
The Hall of Famer added that it would have been best for Vince McMahon to stay away from the company after retiring in 2022. Mick Foley hopes that all of this does not take away from the positive contributions McMahon gave to the business and the role he played in the success of countless athletes over the years.