Trigger Warning: The following article contains accounts and themes of alleged sexual assault, trafficking and emotional abuse that some readers may find upsetting and difficult to read.
Co-founder and former owner of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Vince McMahon, has been accused of serious sexual misconduct and sex trafficking – claims which he denies.
Former WWE employee Janel Grant, who worked in the company’s legal and talent departments has agreed to be named in the case, filing a 67-page lawsuit in which she alleged she was a victim of physical and emotional abuse, sexual assault and trafficking at the firm.
Ms Grant claims McMahon subjected her to “acts of extreme cruelty and degradation” that caused her to “become numb to reality, in order to survive the horrific encounters”.
“Today’s complaint seeks to hold accountable two WWE executives who sexually assaulted and trafficked Plaintiff Janel Grant, as well as the organization that facilitated or turned a blind eye to the abuse and then swept it under the rug,’ read a statement from attorney Ann Callis, who is representing Grant.
“She is an incredibly private and courageous person who has suffered deeply at the hands of Mr. McMahon and Mr. [John] Laurinaitis. Ms. Grant hopes that her lawsuit will prevent other women from being victimized. The organization is well aware of Mr. McMahon’s history of depraved behavior, and it’s time that they take responsibility for the misconduct of its leadership.”
“Despite Ms. Grant’s expressions of unhappiness and attempts to end the sexual relationship—and while she came to understand that McMahon expected the physical relationship to continue as part of her employment—she had no idea how sordid it would become, nor how the psychological torture and physical violence would leave her feeling helpless, isolated and trapped,” read the filing.
McMahon, 78, is also accused of passing around sexually explicit photos and videos of Ms Grant to other men, including other WWE employees.
He stepped down as WWE’s chief executive in 2022 amid allegations of misconduct matching those in this lawsuit, sparking an internal investigation by the company.
The other defendants in the case filing were named as WWE and John Laurinaitis, the company’s former head of talent relations and general manager.
TKO and Vince McMahon has parted ways.
Vince McMahon denies the allegations
A spokesperson for Vince McMahon released a statement denying the allegations.
“This lawsuit is replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and a vindictive distortion of the truth. He will vigorously defend himself,” they said in a statement sent to website Wrestling Inc.
McMahon, currently serves as executive chairman of TKO Group Holdings – a merger of WWE and UFC.
According to the lawsuit, during several meetings about a potential job at WWE, McMahon greeted Ms Grant in his underwear, repeatedly asked for hugs, and spent hours sharing intimate details about his personal life.
She alleges that he eventually made it clear that one of the requirements of the job was a physical relationship with him and later with Laurinaitis and others.
McMahon would allegedly give Ms Grant gifts over the following few years to keep her “under [his] control”, including a BMW, numerous gift cards, luxury jewellery and clothing, and $20,000 (£15,715) towards surgery.
McMahon was accused of recruiting his “physical therapist” to engage in a “threesome” with himself and Ms Grant, and referred to her as his “girlfriend” in order to accomplish this.
It is also alleged McMahon offered one of his star wrestlers – a person not named in the lawsuit – sex with Ms Grant as a perk in 2021.
The lawsuit claims WWE “benefited financially” from a “commercial sex act venture orchestrated by McMahon” by having wrestling talent sign new contracts after presenting Ms Grant “as a sexual commodity for their use”.
A number of screenshots depicting explicit messages allegedly sent by McMahon to Ms Grant were also included in the documents.
Ms Grant is seeking compensation and to have the court void a $3m (£2.35m) non-disclosure agreement, of which she alleges she received only $1m (£735,000).
Her representatives said she waived her anonymity as she “hopes that her lawsuit will prevent other women from being victimised”.
WWE’s parent company, TKO Group, have issued a statement on the allegations.
“Mr McMahon does not control TKO nor does he oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE.
“While this matter pre-dates our TKO executive team’s tenure at the company, we take Ms Grant’s horrific allegations very seriously and are addressing this matter internally.”
Vince McMahon has since resigned from his position at TKO and has denied the allegations against him.
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