Former XFL commissioner Oliver Luck filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against league owner Vince McMahon, for firing him for reasons that were “devoid of merit.”
McMahon laid off the league’s staffers and then filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after the months-long shut down caused the first-year football league to bleed out his investment. Luck, though, was notified of his termination before the other layoffs were announced.
But now, in a lawsuit filed in a U.S. District Court in Connecticut, Luck claims that McMahon’s stated reasons for firing him are “pretextual and devoid of merit,” ESPN reported.
Luck’s filing says that he “wholly disputes and rejects the allegations set forth in the Termination Letter and contends they are pretextual and devoid of merit,” suggesting that he was fired with cause before the layoffs were announced.
Luck was hired in May of 2018 and signed a deal reportedly worth $20 million, but he was not listed in the bankruptcy proceedings as one of the XFL’s creditors.
Luck claims that the layoff and bankruptcy is a breach of contract. He is seeking unspecified damages, attorney’s fees, and a declaratory judgment on the terms of the contract he signed with the XFL.
Jerry McDevitt, an attorney for McMahon, told USA Today that Luck’s “allegations will be disputed and the position of Mr. McMahon will be set forth in our response to his lawsuit.”
The XFL is for sale under the terms of the bankruptcy, but insiders do not see the league coming back any time soon, if ever.
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