The legal team of Janel Grant has asked the court to allow the lawsuit against WWE, Vince McMahon, and John Laurinaitis to move forward into discovery, according to a report from Brandon Thurston of POST Wrestling.
Attorneys for the WWE filed a report with the court on Friday that outlines the discovery they seek to conduct, a move that the defendants have argued is premature as they continue to seek private arbitration, citing an arbitration clause in the nondisclosure agreement central to the lawsuit.
Within the list of information Grant’s team seeks to access is communication records from WWE, including documents related to McMahon’s payments to multiple women and records of the company’s policies related to sexual harassment in line with the lawsuit’s allegations of sexual harassment and trafficking.
In an email included as an exhibit in the court filing, a Paul Weiss attorney representing WWE argues that local rules in Connecticut federal court allow discovery to be delayed until the judge decides whether the case will proceed in court or be sent to arbitration.
Kendra Barkoff-Lamy, a spokesperson for Grant, released the following statement to POST Wrestling on the latest update:
Janel Grant’s courage continues to be an inspiration to so many. Her filing today seeks to move forward with her pursuit of justice and accountability against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE for the horrific sex trafficking and abuse inflicted upon her.
Judge Sarah F. Russell will likely rule on whether the updated complaint filed in January will become the operative complaint for the lawsuit moving forward, before other decisions regarding arbitration and discovery are to be made.