WWE Mogul Vince McMahon Accused of Sex Trafficking Former Employee
A former WWE employee has filed a sexual assault lawsuit against the wrestling company and executive chairman Vince McMahon.
Warning: sexual violence
Janel Grant alleges the WWE founder assaulted her and subjected her to sex trafficking when she worked at the company, forcing her to perform sexual acts with "extreme cruelty and degradation."
Former head of talent relations at WWE John Laurinaitis is also named in the lawsuit, which was filed in Connecticut on Thursday (Jan. 25).
According to court documents, Grant was hired by the WWE in 2019 after McMahon asked for "a physical relationship in return for long-promised employment" as a legal administrator-coordinator at the sports entertainment company.
Grant claims she was forced into a sexual relationship with McMahon, who shared explicit photos and videos of her to other WWE employees.
"McMahon also subjected Grant to acts of extreme cruelty and degradation that caused Grant to disassociate and/or become numb to reality in order to survive the horrific encounters," the legal documents state.
READ MORE: All the Celebrities Named in Jeffrey Epstein's List
According to court documents, McMahon began to recruit other men into his abuse of Grant in May 2020, forcing her to have sex with other employees at the company, including Laurinaitis, and telling her in text messages that he "owned" and "controlled" her and who she could have sexual relations with.
The shocking suit alleges McMahon and Laurinaitis assaulted Grant at the company's HQ in Connecticut while "while colleagues were busy at their desks," as well as used sex toys on her against her will and defecated on her during one assault.
McMahon also allegedly locked her in his private locker room and "forced himself on her" in June 2021.
According to the suit, the WWE founder forced Grant to "create personalized sexual content for a WWE superstar that he was trying to re-sign," described by The Wall Street Journal as "both a UFC fighter and WWE talent."
According to Bleacher Report, it's believed the unnamed WWE superstar may have been Brock Lesnar.
Grant claims McMahon forced her to sign an NDA about her experience after his wife Linda McMahon discovered his activities in 2022, and agreed to pay Grant $3 million to keep quiet about the abuse.
However, according to USA Today, Grant allegedly never received the full payout and now wishes to void the agreement with the new lawsuit.
She is also suing for unspecified damages.
MaMahon retired from the WWE in July 2022 following reports he had paid multiple women more than $14 million over the span of many years to remain quiet about various sexual affairs and allegations of sexual misconduct.
He returned to the company in January 2023.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of sexual abuse or violence, help is available through the RAINN website. To speak to someone on the phone, dial 1-800-656-4673.
Stars Who Were Convicted or Charged With Crimes
Gallery Credit: Claire Epting