Vince McMahon was accused this Thursday of sex trafficking, sexual assault and physical and emotional abuse in a lawsuit filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant.
The 67-page lawsuit filed Thursday cites several alleged graphic incidents and a pattern of abuse by McMahon toward Grant that left the plaintiff “both physically and mentally disabled, including disabling symptoms of post-traumatic stress and suicidal thoughts.”
These new allegations add to the 2022 controversy that saw the WWE founder pay more than $12 million in out-of-court settlements to silence victims of abuse over a twenty-year period. By this point, he had stepped down from his role with WWE before rejoining the organization sometime later to merge with the UFC and form the new entity TKO Holdings, uniting the two organizations.
In this new lawsuit, first revealed by The Wall Street Journal, plaintiff Janel Grant claims she signed a $3 million nondisclosure agreement following the alleged incidents. However, she clarified that McMahon had not made full payment and she was attempting to break that contract to move forward with her lawsuit.
A woman who received a payout from WWE boss Vince McMahon has accused him, the company and a former manager of sex trafficking in a new lawsuit
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ)
January 26, 2024
Scandalous incidents
In documents obtained by The Wall Street Journal, including text message exchanges between the plaintiff and defendant, details of their relationship since WWE's hiring of Janel Grant in 2019 were revealed.
Grant specifically mentions that he was forced to offer McMahon sex, in addition to numerous luxurious gifts, in exchange for an advantageous position within the WWE. Furthermore, it is pointed out that McMahon shared several intimate photos and videos of the complainant with his close entourage without her knowledge.
The most prominent allegation is that of sex trafficking. The plaintiff claims McMahon “sold” her services to WWE employees, including former vice president of operations John Laurinatis. Added to these allegations are allegations of sexual assault, as the complainant alleges that McMahon and Laurinaitis allegedly assaulted her in front of other employees in the WWE offices, physically humiliated her in front of everyone, and caused a group of people present to sweat during the attacks.
According to the complainant, Vince McMahon also intimidated Grant, threatened him, and showed extreme cruelty toward Grant, which caused the victim to experience numerous dissociative disorders.
The prosecution also points out that McMahon indicated to the victim in 2020 that he was the sole owner of the property and could share it with his friends as he wished.
In 2022, the confidentiality agreement would have been proposed to Grant when Linda McMahon, Vince McMahon's wife, learned the details of the relationship with the complainant.
At the time of writing, Vince McMahon is still a member of the TKO Holdings Group Decision Committee and strongly denies the allegations and states that he will “vigorously defend himself” following these false allegations.
For its part, TKO Holdings clarified to USA Today that McMahon was not responsible for the organization and that the events preceded the creation of TKO. They are taking the allegations very seriously and an internal investigation is currently underway.
The case is currently being investigated by authorities and more details will follow in the coming days.