Settlement Talks Reportedly Stall In Vince McMahon Vs. Oliver Luck Lawsuit
After being unable to reach a resolution, the Oliver Luck vs. Vince McMahon lawsuit appears poised to continue as it approaches its trial date in July.
According to PWInsider, a meeting on Wednesday afternoon between the two sides was unable to yield any progress on a settlement, though not for a lack of trying.
PWInsider's report reveals that Oliver Luck and Vince McMahon met for over five hours on Wednesday in an attempt to settle the differences between the two which began when Luck sued McMahon in 2020. It appears to be the longest meeting in an attempt to resolve the lawsuit since it was first filed. Ultimately, however, sources said there were no signs the talks had made progress.
It has been nearly two years now since Luck sued the WWE owner and chairman shortly following the XFL filed for bankruptcy after their revival season was canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic. Luck is alleging that Vince McMahon and his company, Alpha Entertainment, owe him $23.8 million that remained on his contract, as well as damages and attorney fees.
Vince McMahon would later countersue Luck in January of 2021, alleging Luck abandoned his duties following the cancelation of the XFL season and ignored directives from McMahon for the XFL's talent pool to include "quality football players with good character."
In particular, McMahon has said Luck ignored this directive in regards to wide receiver Antonio Callaway, who was signed by the XFL's Tampa Bay Vipers despite a checkered past. During his NFL career, Callaway had been suspended twice, once for credit card fraud and once for violating the substance abuse policy.
Ultimately Callaway never played a game in the XFL after he was injured in practice; as a result, the XFL was forced to pay him workers comp and was unable to cut him. McMahon claims Luck was deceitful in his handling of the situation and is seeking $572,792.10 in damages from Luck, the amount that would cover Callaway's deal, the worker's comp, and Luck's own salary from March 14 to April 9 of 2020, the period from when the XFL ended their season to when Luck was fired.
McMahon has also alleged that Luck used his league-issued iPhone for personal matters and that he destroyed evidence on the phone. The federal judge found that Luck had erased the browser history on his business iPhone within one hour of receiving the termination letter telling him to return the phone, among other things. Luck was hit with a $25,000 sanction over the matter. Information related to exactly what Luck was viewing prior to him erasing his browser history is being kept under seal by the judge until the trial is over because the judge thought that was necessary to preserve the fair trial rights of Luck.
Barring a settlement being reached, the trial of Oliver Luck vs. Vince McMahon will begin in July. If there are any more scheduled settlement talks, they are not known at this time.