Vince McMahon responds to Oliver Luck's lawsuit with a countersuit.
USA Today reports Vince McMahon is countersuing former XFL commissioner Oliver Luck for $572,792.10.
The countersuit is to cover the contract of Antonio Callaway’s, the worker’s compensation owed to him and Luck’s personal compensation from March 14 to April 9.
In April 2020, Luck sued McMahon for wrongful termination.
The lawsuit filed by Luck is heavily redacted, but it does say, “Despite fulfilling his obligations as Commissioner and CEO since May 30, 2018, Mr. Luck was wrongfully terminated by Alpha Entertainment LLC (“Alpha”), an affiliate of Defendant, on April 9, 2020. Thus, Alpha has repudiated Mr. Luck’s employment agreement. Mr. Luck brings this action for breach of contract and declaratory judgment against McMahon.”
Luck’s complaint includes the line, “Mr. Luck wholly disputes and rejects the allegations set forth in the Termination Letter and contends they are pretextual and devoid of merit," which suggests McMahon fired Luck for cause.
McMahon's countersuit claims Luck defied his orders when it came to hiring league personnel and said the former commissioner essentially abandoned his duties when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the league to suspend play five weeks into the season.
The suit claims Luck signed former NFL player Antonio Callaway despite McMahon’s orders to avoid players with troubled legal histories.
Callaway injured his knee before the season started, which resulted in the league paying him worker’s compensation. The XFL was unable to terminate him without paying the original signing bonus that exceeded $120,000.
“It’s another lame attempt by Mr. McMahon’s attorneys to deflect attention from the fact that Mr. McMahon continues to refuse to pay the $24 million that he owes Oliver Luck,” counsel for Luck wrote in an email to The Athletic.
Luck was hired as the commissioner on a multi-year deal for at least $20 million per year. McMahon officially suspended XFL operations on April 10, laying off all employees. As noted in the complaint, Luck was fired on April 9. The XFL filed for bankruptcy on April 13.
Fightful will continue to update this story as the situation unfolds.
