WWE boss Vince McMahon sued for alleged sexual assault and trafficking

WWE boss Vince McMahon was accused Thursday of sexual assault, trafficking, and physical and emotional abuse in a graphic lawsuit filed by a woman who previously worked for the professional wrestling giant.

McMahon is executive chairman of the board of TKO group holdingswhich was formed last year through the merger of his wrestling company and mixed martial arts company UFC.

Janel Grant's lawsuit, which alleges that McMahon ordered her to have sexual relations with a WWE “superstar” and other men, seeks to void a confidentiality agreement Grant said she reached with McMahon in 2022. He agreed to pay her $3 million as part of that deal.

The lawsuit says McMahon paid him $1 million “but made no additional payments.” Grant was one of several women who received payments from McMahon over the years.

In addition to McMahon, 78, the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Connecticut names WWE and John Laurinaitis, former head of talent relations and general manager, as defendants.

The complaint comes six months after federal agents executed a search warrant against 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 following allegations of misconduct. inappropriate sexual

McMahon last March paid WWE $17.4 million to cover costs related to an investigation into the payments by a law firm hired by the company.

TKO Group announced Tuesday that Netflix would pay $5 billion over 10 years to air WWE's flagship show, “Raw,” and stream all other WWE shows and specials outside the United States.

Grant's attorney, Ann Callis, said in a statement: “Today's lawsuit 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 away. Under the carpet.”

“She is an incredibly private and brave person who has suffered deeply at the hands of Mr. McMahon and Mr. Laurinaitis,” Callis said. “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 is time for them to take responsibility for his leadership's misconduct.”

“This lawsuit is filled with lies, made-up obscene cases that never happened, and vindictive distortion of the truth,” a spokesperson for McMahon said in a statement to CNBC. “He will defend himself vigorously.”

In a statement to CNBC, TKO Group said: “Mr. McMahon does not control TKO or oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE.”

“While this matter predates our TKO executive team's tenure at the company, we take Ms. Grant's horrific allegations very seriously and are addressing this matter internally,” the company said.

A WWE spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The complaint says McMahon befriended Grant, who was her neighbor in an apartment building, in 2019 after learning from the building's resident manager that her parents had died and that she was looking for work.

Grant alleges that McMahon soon pressured her into a sexual relationship, to which she succumbed.

“When McMahon pressured Ms. Grant into a physical relationship in exchange for a long-promised job with WWE, she felt trapped in an impossible situation: submit to McMahon's sexual demands or face ruin,” he says. the demand.

The lawsuit also alleges: “Given McMahon's omnipotent position in WWE, coercion was inherent in his
increasingly depraved sexual demands.”

“Specifically, while McMahon was CEO of WWE and Ms. Grant worked as an entry-level coordinator in the legal department, McMahon recruited individuals to have sexual relations with Ms. Grant and/or the two of them, Ms. Grant ordered that he visited Defendant Laurinaitis before the start of the work day for sexual encounters, and expected and directed Ms. Grant to engage in sexual activities at WWE Headquarters, including during work hours,” the lawsuit states.

The complaint accuses McMahon of subjecting her to “extreme cruelty and degradation” that caused Grant to become “desensitized to reality in order to survive the horrific encounters.”

In January 2022, the lawsuit says, McMahon told Grant that he could no longer speak to her or be seen in the same room with her because his wife, Linda McMahon, had found out about their relationship.

In addition to seeking to void the NDA, Grant's lawsuit also alleges violations of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, negligence, intentional or negligent infliction of emotional distress, and civil battery.