WWE Vince McMahon's sex-trafficking allegation investigated by New York federal prosecutors; alleged depraved behavior denied by McMahon
Janel Grant, a former WWE employee, filed a lawsuit on Jan. 25, 2024 against McMahon and former WWE executive John Laurinaitis, claiming she was "the victim of physical and emotional abuse, sexual assault and trafficking at WWE."
McMahon denied the accusations in a sex crimes suit, but resigned as executive chairman of the board of TKO Group, WWE’s parent company, stepped down from the TKO board of directors, and no longer has a role with WWE.
Federal investigators during the summer of 2023 executed a search warrant for McMahon's phone.
COVERAGE
Vince McMahon: Why Janel Grant’s lawsuit could be the WWE godfather's undoing - Slate
Federal Prosecutors Investigate Vince McMahon Sex-Trafficking Allegations - WSJ [LOG-IN required]
LAWSUIT/COURT DOCUMENT
JANEL GRANT,
Plaintiff, Civil Action No.: 3:24-cv-90
vs.
JURY TRIAL DEMANDED
WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT,
INC. n/k/a WORLD WRESTLING
ENTERTAINMENT, LLC; VINCENT K.
MCMAHON; and JOHN LAURINAITIS,
Defendants.
INTRODUCTION ...
1. Plaintiff Janel Grant is a former employee of WWE who was the victim of physical and emotional abuse, sexual assault and trafficking at WWE. Ms. Grant is filing this lawsuit not just to address her own suffering, but also to act for those who are afraid to speak out.
2. WWE’s billionaire Founder & Executive Chairman, Defendant Vincent K. McMahon, lived in a penthouse duplex in Ms. Grant’s apartment building.
3. The two met in March 2019, when Ms. Grant was dealing with profound grief and struggling financially – after devoting years to around-the-clock caregiving, her parents passed
away. On top of that, she was unemployed and her family home was lost in her parents’ bankruptcy.
4. After her family passed away, Ms. Grant dedicated herself to finding gainful employment. Neighbors in her building provided career advice and sought her assistance with personal events. Ms. Grant used these non-paying roles and volunteer work in community initiatives to build her resume.
5. The building’s Resident Manager wanted to help. She messaged McMahon to ask whether he would talk to her, sharing that Ms. Grant had been through hardship and would do great things if given a fresh start. McMahon enthusiastically responded, “Hell Yes!!”
6. McMahon befriended Ms. Grant, giving her hopes of a new life with promises of a yet-to-be-determined role at WWE, and showering her with attention and assurances, along with gifts like a VIP experience at WrestleMania. But what seemed like a dream in the Spring of 2019 quickly became a nightmare.
7. As McMahon dangled career-making and life-changing promises in front of Ms. Grant, he demonstrated an increasing lack of boundaries. During several meetings that were ostensibly about a potential job at WWE, he greeted her in his underwear, touched her, repeatedly asked for hugs, and spent hours sharing intimate details about his personal life.
8. McMahon warned Ms. Grant to keep their “closeness” secret, lest rumors lead to public trouble – and added that, while he protects loyal people, he had world-class legal resources on speed-dial to deal with people who became a problem.
9. As such, when McMahon pushed Ms. Grant for a physical relationship in return for long-promised employment at WWE, she felt trapped in an impossible situation: submitting to McMahon’s sexual demands or facing ruin. Ms. Grant feared she had everything to lose and faced negative consequences no matter what happened.
10. After succumbing to the pressure for a physical relationship, Ms. Grant was slotted into an entry-level position as an “administrator-coordinator”—a position McMahon created for her in WWE’s legal department. Ms. Grant began work in that role on June 17, 2019.
11. Ms. Grant remained in that role, with the exception of a temporary relocation to XFL (Extreme Football League), until McMahon verbally directed her to transfer to the Talent Relations department, reporting to Defendant John Laurinaitis, on March 9, 2021. During a conversation the same day, McMahon explained that her presence in the legal department was effectively delaying efforts to hire a new General Counsel for the company.
12. McMahon and Laurinaitis informed Ms. Grant that she would be promoted to Vice President of Operations in the Talent Relations department, providing her with an organizational chart reflecting this decision.
13. Shortly thereafter, they informed her that they needed her to begin at a lower level as a director, but promised her promotion to Vice President after a 12-month period.
14. 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.
15. In March 2020, McMahon began sharing sexually explicit photographs and videos of Ms. Grant (including pornographic content he recorded) with other men both inside and outside the company, including with members of the television production “tech” team, executive(s), producer(s), and a world-famous athlete and former UFC Heavyweight Champion with whom WWE was actively trying to sign to a new contract (and ultimately did sign that contract).
16. Given McMahon’s omnipotent position at WWE, coercion was inherent in his increasingly depraved sexual demands. Specifically, while McMahon was CEO of WWE and Ms. Grant was employed as an entry level coordinator in the legal department, McMahon recruited individuals to have sexual relations with Ms. Grant and/or with the two of them, directed Ms. Grant to visit Defendant Laurinaitis prior to the start of workdays for sexual encounters, and expected and directed Ms. Grant to engage in sexual activity at the WWE headquarters, even during working hours.
17. All this time, McMahon ordered Ms. Grant to keep their relationship secret (unless otherwise instructed), including lying to maintain whatever cover stories he fabricated.
ADDITIONAL ALLEGATIONS 18 THOUGH 33 INCLUDING ALLEGATION OF EXTREME DEPRAVITY IN #20 [PDF] ... -- courtlistener.com
LONG HISTORY ...
janel grant - Google Search - images