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| Photo credits: WWE.com |
Former WWE employee Janel Grant filed a lawsuit on Thursday, alleging sexual abuse and sex trafficking by long-time WWE chairman and CEO Vince McMahon. As reported by Khadeeja Safdar of the Wall Street Journal, Grant entered a nondisclosure agreement in 2022, agreeing to silence about her accusations and relationship with McMahon in exchange for $3 million.
In her lawsuit, Grant claims that payments halted after an initial $1 million, prompting her to seek voidance of the agreement and sue for unspecified damages. Additionally, Grant alleges McMahon instructed her to create explicit content for a WWE superstar, identified by insiders as Brock Lesnar.
The lawsuit names WWE, McMahon, and former WWE head of talent relations John Laurinaitis as defendants. Grant alleges McMahon coerced her into compromising situations and degraded her in exchange for a job in WWE's legal department.
Detailed incidents in the lawsuit include an alleged sexual assault by McMahon and another executive in June 2021, as well as subsequent incidents in McMahon's private locker room. Explicit text messages and photos sent by McMahon to Grant are presented as evidence.
The lawsuit implicates McMahon in pressuring Grant to sign a nondisclosure agreement in January 2022 after McMahon's wife, Linda McMahon, became aware of their relationship. In July 2022, McMahon retired following reports of paying $14.6 million to multiple women to keep silent about sexual encounters and misconduct allegations.
A WWE board of directors investigation revealed McMahon's improper reporting of payments as business expenses, leading to reimbursement to the company. Grant alleges WWE downplayed her sexual assault allegations during the investigation.
McMahon returned to WWE in January 2023 and played a role in the company's sale to Endeavor Group Holdings, leading to the merger of WWE and the UFC into TKO Group Holdings, with McMahon as the executive chairman.
Despite the serious allegations, McMahon, Laurinaitis, and Lesnar have not commented. McMahon's lawyer, Jerry McDevitt, claimed in 2022 that McMahon had a consensual relationship with Grant, though her name had not been disclosed at that time.
Most recently, McMahon, 78, was present at the New York Stock Exchange as part of the TKO contingent, coinciding with WWE's reported 10-year, $5 billion deal for Raw to air on Netflix from 2025.
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