A former employee of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) filed a lawsuit this week in federal court that accused former Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon of sex trafficking and numerous alleged instances of extreme sexual acts and abuse.
Attorneys for Janel Grant filed the lawsuit on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Connecticut. Details contained in the lawsuit appear to match allegations that surfaced in 2022 that led to McMahon stepping down from WWE. The lawsuit seeks to void a non-disclosure agreement and seeks an unspecified amount for punitive damages and Grant’s legal fees.
Grant, who worked for the company from 2019 to 2022, alleges that she was in a vulnerable state when she met McMahon because her parents had just died and she had effectively devoted her life to “around-the-clock caregiving.”
The lawsuit says that her time at WWE centered around gratifying McMahon’s sexual desires, which became more extreme and violent over time, and led to her suffering serious physical and mental health issues — including “debilitating” PTSD and serious thoughts of suicide.
McMahon allegedly pressured her to sign a non-disclosure agreement in exchange for a $3 million payout in an effort to conceal the events that happened. He allegedly only paid $1 million and did not make further payments.
The lawsuit alleges that McMahon gained complete control over Grant’s life and used his power to abuse her repeatedly and subject her to humiliating acts and embarrassment.
McMahon is accused of grooming Grant for his sexual desires over a period of several weeks where he dangled employment opportunities in front of her as he slowly broke down boundaries and made veiled threats that she could not tell anyone or else she might face lawyers backed by McMahon’s massive fortune.
“Mr. McMahon does not control T.K.O. nor does he oversee the day-to-day operations of W.W.E.,” said WWE’s parent company, T.K.O. Group. “While this matter predates our T.K.O. executive team’s tenure at the company, we take Ms. Grant’s horrific allegations very seriously and are addressing this matter internally.”
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McMahon was the target of a federal search warrant and a grand jury subpoena last July, according to a statement from the corporation.
A report published by CNBC tied the subpoena and the search warrant – which was reportedly executed on July 17 by federal law enforcement – to the allegations against McMahon regarding payments he reportedly made to a number of women following accusations of sexual impropriety.
The search came one year after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and federal prosecutors launched an investigation into the payments, which were disclosed by the WWE just days after McMahon retired as CEO. At the time, the WWE reported $14.6 million in expenses that were paid out personally by McMahon — none of which had been recorded previously.
Virginia Kruta contributed to this report.