According to the Wall Street Journal, Vince McMahon has reached an agreement with ex-WWF referee Rita Chatterton, who claimed him of r*ping her in 1986. The settlement, which is worth millions of dollars, was completed last month.
Chatterton first made accusations against McMahon in April 1992, saying McMahon had r*ped her in 1986. In a June 2022 article with New York Magazine, she would go on the record once more about the allegations, and the Wall Street Journal revealed this month that she had come out last year, asking $11.75 million in damages. The sum of the settlement is unknown, however, it is said to be less than the initial figure.
Vince McMahon Agrees To Multi-Million Dollar Settlement With Rita Chatterton https://t.co/3nW13Zv9xj
— Ringside News (@ringsidenews_) January 19, 2023
McMahon earlier dismissed Chatterton’s allegations and reportedly informed close friends that he had no intention of paying settlements. According to the most recent update, Chatterton resorted to a deal “last month” that was lower than what she had originally requested, though the specific sum is unknown.
“Mr. McMahon has always denied raping Ms. Chatterton. And he resolved the matter primarily to avoid the cost of litigation,” said Jerry McDevitt, a longtime McMahon/WWE attorney.
McMahon struck a $7.5 million settlement with a former wrestler who said he coerced her into giving him oral s*x in 2018, as well as a 2022 settlement in which he pledged to pay $3 million to a former WWE paralegal staff with whom he allegedly had an affair. Vince has refused to comment publicly on the agreements.
Who is Rita Chatterton?
Rita Chatterton is the first female referee for the WWE. In 1984, she received her license to officiate wrestling in New York. She claims that former WWE CEO Vince McMahon sexually abused her in the 1980s. Vincent Kennedy McMahon was publicly accused in 1992, but no charges were filed against him since the r*pe statute of limitations had already elapsed.
She claims that on July 16, 1986, McMahon tried to coerce her into engaging in oral s*x with him in his limo, and when she refused, he r*ped her.
She stated that she worked for the WWE three or four more times after that and that she kept quiet out of respect for her parents, who were both in severe condition. Her father died two weeks before her Rivera interview, and her mother died a year prior. She hoped to reach an out-of-court settlement.
According to a new Wall Street Journal article, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon has reached an agreement with former referee Rita Chatterton. According to the sources, the deal involves a multi-million dollar legal settlement with Chatterton, who accused him of r*ping her in the back of a limousine in 1986.