Vince McMahon Reaches Multimillion-Dollar Settlement with Ex-WWE Referee Who Accused Him of Rape: Report

Ethan Miller/Getty Images Vince McMahon

Vince McMahon has reached a multimillion-dollar legal settlement with a former WWE referee who accused him of raping her in 1986.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, McMahon settled a lawsuit brought against him by Rita Chatterton, a former referee who said he raped her. Though Chatterton asked for $11.75 million from the WWE executive, the two sides agreed to a multimillion-dollar settlement that is less than that amount, the outlet reported.

PEOPLE has reached out to WWE and McMahon's attorney, Jerry McDevitt, for comment.

In comments to WSJ, McDevitt said McMahon denied the allegations.

"Mr. McMahon denies and always has denied raping Ms. Chatterton," he said. "And he settled the case solely to avoid the cost of litigation."

According to New York Magazine, Chatterton is known as the first female referee in the history of WWE (then known as the World Wrestling Federation). She first came forward with the rape allegations in 1992, but the statute of limitations had already run out by then.

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Leonard Inzitari, a former wrestler known as "Mario Mancini," backed up Chatterton's claims, and recalled seeing her alone by a wrestling ring before a show in 1986.

"She looks at me and bursts out in tears," Inzitari told New York Magazine. "And she grabbed me, and I go, 'Rita, what happened?' "

Inzitari said that's when Chatterton told him that she had been in McMahon's limousine, where he allegedly raped her.

"[I] heard a lot of different stories," Inzitari told the outlet of rumors surrounding McMahon. "He was strange, brother."

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In 2022, McMahon was the target of an investigation after WWE's board received an email notifying them of an alleged $3 million payment McMahon paid to a female paralegal to prevent her from discussing their alleged sexual relationship or making critical statements about him. The news was first reported by the WSJ.

A spokesperson for the company claimed to the WSJ that the relationship between Vince and the now-former employee was consensual.

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After stepping down as head of WWE, McMahon — the company's controlling shareholder — returned this month, citing "upcoming media rights negotiations" and "increased industry-wide demand for quality content and live events."

"The only way for WWE to fully capitalize on this opportunity is for me to return as Executive Chairman and support the management team in the negotiations for our media rights and to combine that with a review of strategic alternatives," he said in a statement. "My return will allow WWE, as well as any transaction counterparties, to engage in these processes knowing they will have the support of the controlling shareholder."