Vince McMahon Reaches Settlement In $24 Million Wrongful Termination Lawsuit With Former XFL Commissioner And CEO Oliver Luck
A July 11th Trial between former CEO and Chairman of the WWE Vince McMahon and former Quarterback turned Businessman Oliver Luck will not be happening after all.
On June 5th, 2018, the XFL announced Luck would be the Commissioner and CEO. After a start that was considered possibly “the best launch of a new sports league in the last 30 years, if not ever,” the league suspended play on March 12th in 2020, due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.
On Thursday April 9th of that same year of suspension, XFL owner Vince McMahon fired Oliver Luck two working days before the league filed for bankruptcy.
Luck would sue XFL owner Vince McMahon for wrongful termination on April 21st as XFL President Jeffrey Pollack noted:
“Our shutdown and our bankruptcy filing had nothing to do with anything other than the pandemic. Our business was working, our proof of concept was successful, and we were on our way to a phenomenal first season.”
However, according to a new report from the Sports Business Journal, Luck and McMahon have, in fact, reached a settlement in the $24 million lawsuit and will no longer be heading to trial.
Luck’s lawyer, Paul Dobrowski wrote in a court filing. Currently, the terms of the settlement are unknown.
“The parties reached an agreement to resolve this case on June 16, 2022,”
McMahon’s claims firing Luck was for a cause. He cited several factors: Luck’s disclosure of confidential information to his brother-in-law, then-Wasserman Exec VP/Football Will Wilson, use of his company phone for personal matters, abandoning his position when the pandemic started, and signing WR Antonio Callaway to a contract, going against McMahon’s rule against employing players with spotty legal or moral track records. The firing was one day before the XFL folded and four days before its parent, Alpha Entertainment, declared bankruptcy.
Luck argued McMahon’s reasons were just pretexts to avoid the contractually requirement payments, and said he was due his full salary and bonuses in the five-year deal
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