A former employee filed a lawsuit against WWE CEO Vince McMahon and a former WWE executive accusing the men of sex trafficking and abuse.
Janel Grant, a former employee of WWE, said in the lawsuit that she was “the victim of physical and emotional abuse, sexual assault and trafficking at WWE.”
“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,” Ann Callis, an attorney for Grant, said in a statement to NBC News.
“She is an incredibly private and courageous person who has suffered deeply at the hands of Mr. McMahon and Mr. Laurinaitis.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for WWE’s parent company TKO Group Holdings said, “Mr. McMahon does not control TKO nor does he oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE. While this matter pre-dates 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 lawsuit includes accusations of sex trafficking, civil battery, intentional or negligent infliction of emotional distress, and negligence.
According to the lawsuit, McMahon allegedly pushed Grant for a physical relationship in exchange for promised employment at WWE in 2019 and she felt trapped in an impossible situation.
“Ms. Grant feared she had everything to lose and faced negative consequences no matter what happened,” according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit said that Grant eventually entered into a physical relationship with McMahon and was given employment at the WWE.
The employment led to sexual assault without consent and Vince fired her after he allegedly said his wife had found out about their relationship.
The lawsuit also alleged that Vince made her sign a non-disclosure agreement in exchange for payments and he had stopped paying.
