By Maria Ward-Brennan
WWE’s billionaire founder and executive chairman Vincent McMahon was hit with a lawsuit in the US accusing him of sex trafficking.
A former employee at World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Janel Grant, has accused wrestler of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse as well as trafficking in a lawsuit filed on Thursday at the District Court for the District of Connecticut.
The US lawsuit detailed that McMahon dangled “career-making and life-changing promises” and during several meetings about a potential job at WWE, he “greeted her in his underwear” and touched her.
She alleged that McMahon pushed her for a physical relationship in return for “long-promised employment” at WWE.
It was alleged that McMahon and former wrestler John Laurinaitis sexually assaulted her in the WWE headquarters, based in Connecticut. The lawsuit detailed that “she begged them to stop, but they forced themselves on her, each taking turns restraining her for the other, while saying ‘no means yes’ and ‘take it, bitch'”.
McMahon was also accused in the suit of sharing sexually explicit photographs and videos her with men both inside and outside the company, including members of the television production team.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Grant signed a nondisclosure agreement in 2022 in which McMahon agreed to pay $3m for her to not discuss their relationship or to disparage him.
Grant was terminated from employment on 27 January 2023.
The claim form stated that she will prove at trial that she will need lifelong treatment because of the pain and suffering inflicted upon her by defendants.
Her lawsuit is against McMahon, Laurinaitis, WWE and World Wrestling Entertainment.
Her lawyer, Ann Callis of Holland Law Firm, said: “Today’s complaint seeks to hold accountable two WWE executives who sexually assaulted and trafficked Janel Grant, as well as the organisation that facilitated or turned a blind eye to the abuse and then swept it under the rug.”
“She is an incredibly private and courageous person who has suffered deeply at the hands of McMahon and Laurinaitis. Grant hopes that her lawsuit will prevent other women from being victimised. The organisation is well aware of McMahon’s history of depraved behaviour, and it’s time that they take responsibility for the misconduct of its leadership.”
This comes after Netflix has just agreed a $5bn deal to screen WWE’s flagship weekly programme Raw as part of a 10-year agreement.
