Vince McMahon, Executive Chairman of the Board of TKO, is seen during a ceremony announcing that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be joining TKO’s Board of Directors at the New York Stock Exchange on January 23, 2024 in New York York City joined.
Michelle Farsi | UFC | Getty Images
WWE boss Vince McMahon was accused in a graphic lawsuit Thursday of sexual assault, human trafficking and physical and emotional abuse of a woman who previously worked at the pro wrestling giant.
Janel Grant’s lawsuit – which alleges McMahon directed her to have sex with a WWE “superstar” and other men – seeks to overturn a non-disclosure agreement Grant says she entered into with McMahon in 2022.
Grant’s lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Connecticut says billionaire McMahon agreed to pay her $3 million as part of that deal, but ended up paying only $1 million in exchange for her silence about his behavior.
In addition to McMahon (78), the lawsuit also names WWE and John Laurinaitis, the company’s former head of talent relations and general manager, as defendants.
The complaint comes six months after federal law enforcement officials executed a search warrant on McMahon and served him with a grand jury subpoena as part of an investigation into McMahon’s payment of millions of dollars to several women, including Grant, following allegations of sexual misconduct.
McMahon, who resigned from WWE posts in mid-2022 amid an internal company investigation and returned as leader in early 2023, paid WWE $17.4 million last March to cover the costs of an investigation into those payouts by a law firm hired by the company.
McMahon is executive chairman of Investments of the TKO Group, which was formed last year through a merger of his wrestling company and mixed martial arts company UFC. He owns a significant number of shares in TKO Group.
Grant’s attorney, Ann Callis, said in a statement: “Today’s lawsuit seeks to hold accountable two WWE executives who sexually abused and trafficked plaintiff Janel Grant, as well as the organization that enabled or turned a blind eye to the abuse and then “under the carpet.”
“She is an incredibly private and courageous person who suffered deeply at the hands of Mr. McMahon and Mr. Laurinaitis,” Callis said. “Ms Grant hopes her lawsuit will prevent other women from becoming victims. The organization is aware of Mr. McMahon’s history of depraved behavior and it is time for it to accept responsibility for the misconduct of its leadership.”
A spokesman for McMahon said: “This lawsuit is full of lies, obscene fabricated incidents that never happened, and a vindictive distortion of the truth.”
“He will defend himself vigorously,” the spokesman said.
A spokesman for TKO Group said: “Mr. McMahon does not control TKO or oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE.”
“Although this matter predates our TKO leadership team’s tenure at the company, we take Ms. Grant’s horrific allegations very seriously and are addressing this matter internally,” the TKO spokesperson said.
The TKO Group announced this on Tuesday Netflix would pay $5 billion over 10 years to stream WWE’s flagship program “Raw” and broadcast all other WWE shows and specials outside the United States.
A WWE spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Grant’s lawsuit.
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The complaint states that in 2019, McMahon became friends with Grant, who was his neighbor in an apartment building, after learning from the building’s property manager that her parents had died and she was looking for a job.
Grant claims McMahon soon pressured her into a sexual relationship, to which she gave in.
“When McMahon pressured Ms. Grant into a physical relationship in return for a long-promised employment with WWE, she felt trapped in an impossible situation: submit to McMahon’s sexual demands or face ruin,” the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit also states, “Given McMahon’s all-powerful position within WWE, coercion was inherent in him.”
increasingly depraved sexual demands.”
“While McMahon was CEO of the WWE and Ms. Grant was employed as an entry-level coordinator in the legal department, McMahon recruited individuals to have sexual relationships with Ms. Grant and/or with the two as directed by Ms. Grant.” “I have defendant Laurinaitis “visited for sexual encounters at the start of work and expected and instructed Ms. Grant to engage in sexual activity at WWE headquarters, including during work hours,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit accuses McMahon of subjecting her to “extreme cruelty and degradation,” which caused Grant to “become numb to reality in order to survive the horrific encounters.”
In January 2022, the lawsuit says, McMahon told Grant he could no longer speak to her or be seen in the same room as her because his wife, Linda McMahon, had found out about their relationship.
“Supposedly to avoid divorce, negative publicity and other repercussions, McMahon
“said that Ms. Grant’s time with WWE had come to an end, but that he wanted her to sign a nondisclosure agreement to ensure that, among other things, she would remain silent about his personal misconduct,” the lawsuit says.
Linda McMahon, a former top WWE executive, served as administrator of the Small Business Administration under former President Donald Trump, who himself appeared at WWE events.
The lawsuit said that in November 2022, WWE announced the end of a “special committee” investigation into Vince McMahon’s alleged misconduct toward women.
“Yet the Select Committee never bothered to interview Ms. Grant or request any documents, even though Ms. Grant stated that she would cooperate,” the lawsuit says.
In addition to seeking to overturn the NDA, Grant’s lawsuit also accuses him of violations of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, negligence, intentional or negligent infliction of emotional distress, and civil wrongdoing.
The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified monetary damages, says the defendants’ “predatory behavior” “has left Ms. Grant both physically and mentally crippled, including due to debilitating symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal thoughts.”
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2024-01-26 00:19:06
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