A former WWE employee, Janel Grant, has filed a lawsuit against the wrestling company’s ex-CEO, Vince McMahon, alleging sex trafficking during her tenure in the corporate office.
Grant worked in the corporate office and claimed that she was promised career advancement but alleges that McMahon subsequently trafficked her to other men within the company. This new lawsuit has sparked speculation following the internal investigation conducted last year by an independent law firm.
Thursday, Ann Callis, an attorney who represents Grant, told NBC, “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,” Callis said.
The other executive implicated is a close friend of Vince, John Laurinaitis, who, like former CEO McMahon, was unavailable for comment. The lawsuit suggests that Grant and the former CEO met in March 2019, during which the former employee was allegedly promised “life-changing guarantees” in exchange for a physical relationship with the CEO. Feeling trapped, Grant accepted the offer of employment.
“Mrs. Grant feared she had everything to lose and faced negative consequences no matter what happened,” the lawsuit states.
It’s alleged in the lawsuit as well that after Janel refused to continue a sexual relationship, McMahon ignored her and began sharing explicit pictures of her with other office colleagues. The document also claims that the former CEO and Laurinaitis sexually assaulted Grant within Laurinaitis’s office, all while other employees were working at their desks.
In January 2022, when Vince’s wife discovered the situation, he reportedly pressured Grant into signing an NDA in exchange for payments amounting to $3 million to secure her silence. Grant also stated that during the internal probe at the company office, they never interviewed her or requested any documents, despite her willingness to cooperate.
The lawsuit also states that Grant was used as a pawn to persuade a current WWE performer to stay within the company. WSJ has reported their sources told them that this wrestler was Brock Lesnar.
When McMahon stepped down in 2022, an investigation revealed that he had paid nearly $15 million to four women over 16 years to maintain their silence amid allegations of sexual abuse against him. Leaked explicit text messages which were included in the lawsuit docs between McMahon and Grant, released by Wrestle Ops.
McMahon’s legal team has claimed that these claims are false.
Check out the alleged texts below.
THREAD 1/2 (TW):
Screenshots of Vince McMahon’s messages from the new sex trafficking lawsuit: pic.twitter.com/pqx78GHSwU
— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) January 25, 2024
