Former WWE employee accuses Vince McMahon of sexual abuse and calls on company to waive confidentiality agreements

A former WWE employee who has filed a lawsuit against the company and former boss Vince McMahon accusing him of sexual assault and human trafficking is asking them not to enforce nondisclosure agreements with other former and current employees and contractors from potentially making similar statements can accusations.

An attorney for Janel Grant emailed a letter late Monday asking the lawyers representing WWE, McMahon and John Laurinaitis, a former WWE manager and wrestler, in Grant’s lawsuit against her.

A spokesman for McMahon, Curtis Vogel, declined to comment. Lawyers for WWE and Laurinaitis did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment late Monday. Emails to WWE and its parent companies Endeavor Group Holdings and its subsidiary TKO Group Holdings also were not immediately returned.

McMahon, former CEO and chairman of WWE, has denied Grant’s allegations.

Grant, who worked in WWE’s legal and talent department from 2019 to 2022, sued the company, McMahon and Laurinaitis in January, making graphic allegations of sexual assault, harassment, human trafficking and other physical and emotional abuse.

McMahon resigned as WWE CEO in 2022 as the company conducted an investigation into allegations consistent with those in Grant’s lawsuit. He also resigned as CEO of TKO Group Holdings in January, a day after Grant filed her lawsuit.

“If WWE and its parent company Endeavor are serious about parting ways with Vince McMahon and the toxic workplace culture he created, their executives should have no problem releasing former WWE employees from their NDAs,” said Ann Callis, Grants lawyer, in a statement. “This is the first step in cleaning up a company that covered up sexual assault and human trafficking for decades.”

McMahon previously responded to Grant’s lawsuit with a statement saying it was “full of lies, obscenely fabricated incidents that never occurred, and a vindictive distortion of the truth.” I intend to vigorously defend myself against these baseless allegations “I look forward to clearing my name.” His lawyers said in court documents that he had a consensual relationship with Grant and never mistreated her.

Laurinaitis’ lawyer has denied the allegations and said Laurinaitis was also a victim in the case.

Grant says she was pressured to quit her job with WWE and sign a $3 million non-disclosure agreement. The lawsuit also seeks to invalidate the agreement, saying McMahon violated the deal by giving her $1 million and not paying the rest.

Four other women – all formerly affiliated with WWE – signed agreements with McMahon that prohibit them from discussing their relationships with him, The Wall Street Journal reported in July 2022, citing people familiar with the deals and documents reviewed . Grant was not one of those women, her representatives say.

In December 2022, McMahon agreed to pay a former wrestling referee millions of dollars to resolve her allegations that he raped her in 1986, the Journal also reported. McMahon said the alleged sexual assault never happened, and his attorney said he settled the lawsuit to avoid a costly legal battle.

Grant’s request to the Stamford, Connecticut-based WWE to forego enforcing the NDAs is similar to those he made to other companies when allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced.

The Associated Press typically does not name people who make allegations of sexual assault unless they come forward publicly, which Grant did.

She claims McMahon forced her into a sexual relationship with him to get and keep a job, and later directed her to have sexual relationships with others, including Laurinaitis. She also accuses McMahon and Laurinaitis of sexually abusing her at WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut.

The lawsuit further alleges that McMahon recruited other people to have sexual relationships with Grant, shared pornographic photos and videos of her with other men, including WWE employees, even though he would not do so, and subjected her to cruel and humiliating acts.

McMahon purchased the then World Wrestling Federation in 1982 and transformed it from a regional wrestling company into a worldwide phenomenon. In addition to running the company with his wife Linda, he also appeared as himself at WWE events.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Associated Press)