WWE boss Vince McMahon was accused Thursday of sexual assault, trafficking, and physical and emotional abuse in a graphic lawsuit by a woman who previously worked for the pro wrestling giant.
McMahon is executive chairman of the board of TKO Group Holdings, which was formed last year by a merger of his wrestling company and the mix-martial arts company UFC.
The suit by Janel Grant — which alleges McMahon directed her to have sex with a WWE “superstar” and other men — seeks to void a nondisclosure agreement that Grant said she reached with McMahon in 2022. She said he agreed to pay her $3 million as part of that deal.
The suit says McMahon paid her $1 million “but failed to make any further payments.” Grant was one of several women who received payouts from McMahon over the years.
In addition to the 78-year-old McMahon, the suit filed in U.S. District Court in Connecticut names WWE and John Laurinaitis, the former head of talent relations and general manager, as defendants.
The complaint comes six months after federal law enforcement agents executed a search warrant on McMahon and served him with a grand jury subpoena as part of an investigation into McMahon’s payment of millions of dollars to multiple women after allegations of sexual misconduct.
McMahon last March paid WWE $17.4 million to cover costs related to a probe of the payouts by a law firm retained by the company.
TKO Group on Tuesday announced that Netflix would pay $5 billion over 10 years to stream the WWE’s flagship program “Raw,” and carry all other WWE shows and specials outside the United States.
Grant’s lawyer, Ann Callis, in a statement, said, “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.”
“She is an incredibly private and courageous person who has suffered deeply at the hands of Mr. McMahon and Mr. Laurinaitis,” Callis said. “Ms. Grant hopes that her lawsuit will prevent other women from being victimized. The organization is well aware of Mr. McMahon’s history of depraved behavior, and it’s time that they take responsibility for the misconduct of its leadership.”
In a statement to CNBC, TKO Group 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 company said.
A spokesman for WWE did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
