WWE Chairman Vince McMahon has reportedly settled with former referee Rita Chatterton.
A new report from The Wall Street Journal notes that Vince has agreed to a multi-million dollar legal settlement with Chatterton, who accused him of raping her in the back of a limousine in 1986.
The settlement was completed last month, and averts a public legal fight over the allegations as McMahon pursues a potential sale of WWE.
We noted back in December how Chatterton demanded $11.75 million in damages in a November letter to McMahon’s attorney. Chatterton ended up agreeing to a lesser amount, in the millions of dollars, but the exact figure has not been confirmed.
The settlement provides Chatterton with a lump sum up front and annual installments, similar to McMahon’s previous agreements with women, according to a person close to the deal.
“Mr. McMahon denies and always has denied raping Ms. Chatterton. And he settled the case solely to avoid the cost of litigation,” said longtime McMahon/WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt.
Chatterton referred The Wall Street Journal to her lawyer, John Clune, and he declined to comment. WWE did not respond to requests for comment.
The settlement with Chatterton comes after a $7.5 million settlement McMahon reached in 2018 with a former wrestler who alleged that he coerced her into giving him oral sex, as well as a 2022 agreement in which he agreed to pay $3 million to a former WWE paralegal employee that he allegedly had an affair with. Vince has declined to publicly address the settlements.
Chatterton alleged in 1992 TV interviews that McMahon told her she needed to satisfy him if she wanted to receive a $500,000 contract with WWE, and then raped her in the back of a limousine in New York. Chatterton’s attorney said in the November demand letter that she had passed a polygraph test, and that multiple sources had corroborated her account, two of whom told The Wall Street Journal that Chatterton contemporaneously told them about the alleged rape.
In the November legal demand letter, Chatterton’s attorney wrote that the damage she suffered from the alleged rape was “hard to overstate” and that she “has suffered years of ongoing depression, substance abuse, disordered eating, lost income, and overall a decreased quality of life.”
McMahon contended in a 1993 lawsuit that Chatterton was induced to make a false rape charge against him by a wrestler with an ax to grind. He withdrew the lawsuit in 1994, and said he withdrew to focus on defending against the infamous criminal steroid-related charges, which he was acquitted of in 1994.
A New York state law recently opened a one-year window that allows victims of sex crimes to file lawsuits that would otherwise be barred by the statute of limitations. Chatterton’s attorney sought $11.75 million damages in a legal demand letter sent to McMahon’s attorney in November, just weeks before the window opened.
It was reported back in December that McMahon was in talks with Chatterton’s attorneys, and attorneys for a former spa manager, who alleged Vince assaulted her at a California resort in 2011. There is no update on the status of the negotiations with the former spa manager, and her attorney did not respond to a request for comment.
For those who missed it, you can click here for what WWE CEO Nick Khan just had to say about Vince’s allegations.
Stay tuned to WrestlingHeadlines.com for more. Below are links to some of our recent reports on the ongoing situation:
FULL COVERAGE OF THE VINCE MCMAHON – JOHN LAURINAITIS ALLEGATIONS AND FALLOUT:
– Vince McMahon Reaches Multi-Million Dollar Settlement with Rita Chatterton
– Backstage Notes on Vince McMahon from WWE HQ, Key Executive Returns?
– Vince McMahon Repeals Recent WWE Bylaw Amendments, New Class-Action Lawsuit Filed
– More on AEW’s Interest In Purchasing WWE, the Expected Sale Price for WWE
– New Report on the WWE Sale and Triple H & Stephanie McMahon, Potential Buyers
– WWE Hires Outside Advisors to Help with Sale Talks, Vince McMahon Comments
– Update on the WWE Sale – Saudi Arabia PIF Rumors from Tuesday Night
– Major Rumors on a WWE Sale Making the Rounds
– WWE Names Vince McMahon as Chairman Once Again; Comments from Vince, Nick Khan, Stephanie McMahon
– Stephanie McMahon Announces WWE Resignation
– JP Morgan Gets Hired By WWE To Assist With Potential Sale
– Full Transcript from Today’s WWE Meeting Led By Stephanie McMahon, Nick Khan and Frank Riddick
– Backstage News from WWE Meeting, WWE Going Private Again?, Vince McMahon Notes, More
– WWE Holding Important Meeting Today, Wall Street Reacts to Vince McMahon’s Return to The Board
– Wall Street Reacts to Potential WWE Sale and Return of Vince McMahon
– Backstage Reactions to Vince McMahon Confirming His Plans for a WWE Return
– Vince McMahon Issues Statement and Details on Plans for WWE Return
– Vince McMahon Reportedly Planning WWE Return for a Major Sale
– Vince McMahon Scandal Hurt WWE’s Ability to Sell Sponsorships
– Backstage Talk on Vince McMahon’s Post-WWE Life
– WWE Says Vince McMahon’s Departure May Hurt the Company Creatively and Financially
– WWE Reveals $5 Million More In Payments Made By Vince McMahon
– Backstage Updates on WWE and John Laurinaitis, WWE’s Board of Directors Investigation
– Linda McMahon Comments on Vince McMahon’s WWE Retirement After Being Pressed By Reporter
– Vince McMahon WWE Stock Update, Vince’s WWE Ownership, Linda McMahon Note
– USA Network Looks Ahead to Big WWE Changes, USA on Fan Reactions to Triple H Taking Over Creative
– Top WWE Stars Jab at Vince McMahon’s Retirement on RAW
– What Triple H Promised to WWE Talents In Pre-RAW Backstage Meeting, More Backstage Notes
– Vince McMahon Facing Additional Investigations?, More on Vince’s Exit from WWE
– WWE Restates Financial Statements Due to Unrecorded Vince McMahon Expenses, Vince to Pay Money Back
– Backstage News on Brock Lesnar Working WWE SmackDown After Walking Out Earlier
– Stephanie McMahon and WWE Fans Send “Thank You” Message to Vince McMahon
– Read Vince McMahon’s Full Retirement Letter Sent to WWE Employees
– Brock Lesnar Officially Pulled from WWE SmackDown
– WWE to Replace Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam?, More on Lesnar’s Reaction to Vince McMahon’s Retirement
– Backstage News on Vince McMahon’s Retirement, Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan’s New WWE Roles, More
– Brock Lesnar Reportedly Leaves SmackDown, Upset Over Vince McMahon’s WWE Retirement
– Vince McMahon Retires from WWE
– Triple H at WWE SmackDown, Backstage Talk on Triple H’s New Role, Bruce Prichard Update, More
– WWE Announces Triple H’s New Executive Role, Triple H Comments
– Netflix Reportedly Pulls Vince McMahon Project, Millions of Dollars Spent
– WWE Issues Internal Statement on Latest Vince McMahon Allegations
– Vince McMahon Reportedly Paid Millions of Dollars In “Hush Money” to Former Wrestler and Others
– News on Who Made the Decision to Name Stephanie McMahon as WWE’s Interim CEO & Chairwoman
– Stephanie McMahon Addresses Investigation Into Her Father During WWE HQ Meeting
– How Much Value WWE Has Lost Since Vince McMahon Scandal Broke, WWE Ratings Up Due to Buzz?
– WWE Now Facing Multiple Potential Class Action Lawsuits
– Vince McMahon Makes Surprise WWE RAW Appearance to Hype Big Return
– More Details On Vince McMahon’s Mood, Backstage Atmosphere At Friday’s WWE SmackDown
– Vince McMahon Opens Tonight’s WWE SmackDown, Video of the Segment
– Stephanie McMahon Sends Message to WWE Staff After Today’s Huge Announcement
– Vince McMahon Announced for WWE SmackDown
– Pat McAfee Reacts to Vince McMahon Allegations, Thinks We Will Never Get the Truth
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