Vince McMahon, Former XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck Settle Lawsuit
Vince McMahon and former XFL commissioner Oliver Luck recently agreed to terms on a settlement following a lengthy legal battle that began over two years ago, Sports Business Journal’s Ben Fischer reported Monday.
Luck, who filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the former XFL owner in April 2020, is set to receive roughly $24 million in damages, per Fischer. According to court documents, the two parties officially reached the agreement June 16, less than a month before the case had been set to go to jury selection July 11.
Fischer also reported the decision came shortly after the sides met for a “nine-minute” settlement conference on June 15, though it’s unclear who was involved in the meeting.
Luck, the father of former Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, sued McMahon after alleging he was wrongfully terminated by Alpha Entertainment LLC despite fulfilling the obligations of his role. He was hired by McMahon in June 2018 to serve as XFL Commissioner and CEO, a role he remained in until 2020 when the league suspended operations and laid off more than 400 employees on April 10 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the filing, Luck said he was fired a day prior to the league-wide layoffs, and accused McMahon of breaching his contract and declaratory judgment. McMahon’s lawyers later alleged in numerous federal court filings that the league fired Luck for showing “gross neglect” at the start of the pandemic, as well for using a business iPhone for personal matters and signing ex-NFL receiver Antonio Callaway despite a league policy against hiring talent with legal troubles.
McMahon’s settlement with Luck is the latest in a recent string of ongoing legal issues for the longtime WWE chief executive. The 76-year-old stepped down as the company’s CEO and Chairman of the Board last Friday after a Wall Street Journal report revealed he agreed to a secret $3 million settlement with a former employee he allegedly had an affair with.
Additionally, the report disclosed “other, older nondisclosure agreements involving claims by former female WWE employees of misconduct” involving McMahon and WWE’s head of talent relations John Laurinaitis. McMahon’s daughter Stephanie, who is also WWE’s chief business officer, will serve as interim CEO until the investigation is complete.
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