World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. Executive Chairman Vince McMahon will pay a multimillion-dollar legal settlement to a former referee who accused him of raping her.
The settlement with Rita Chatterton, the first female referee of the largest wrestling promotion, was completed last month, according to a Wall Street Journal report Thursday, citing people familiar with the agreement.
Chatterton demanded $11.75 million in damages for the alleged 1986 rape in a November letter to McMahon’s attorney reviewed by the Journal. The legal arrangement, which is believed to be significantly less, comes as McMahon pursues a possible sale of the company
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he has overseen for decades.
“Mr. McMahon denies and always has denied raping Ms. Chatterton. And he settled the case solely to avoid the cost of litigation,” said Jerry McDevitt, a lawyer for McMahon.
Chatterton’s lawyer, John Clune, declined to comment. WWE didn’t respond to requests for comment, the Journal reported.
Last year, McMahon agreed to pay $3 million to a former WWE employee with whom he allegedly had an affair, the Journal reported. In 2018, McMahon reached a $7.5 million settlement with a former wrestler who claimed McMahon coerced her into giving him oral sex.
McMahon has declined to publicly comment on the settlements.
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