The former WWE employee who alleged being sexually abused by Vince McMahon finally spoke out on Friday, saying she "hopes that any doors of secrecy have been blown off their hinges." Janel Grant claimed in a lawsuit filed on Thursday that the wrestling mogul coerced her into having sex with wrestling stars and other WWE executives.
The lawsuit also includes more graphic allegations, such as McMahon allegedly defecating on her head during a threesome and using sex toys named after wrestlers on her. This came as McMahon, the executive chairman of the board of TKO Group Holdings and founder of wrestling giant WWE, has resigned his positions at both companies.
Settling the Score
"She hopes those at the company past and present who fear speaking out about harm is a thing of the past," Grant said in a statement read by her St. Louis-based attorney, Ann Callis.
"She wishes them all peace." Callis shared the statement in an interview she gave to the Law&Crime podcast, "Crime Fix with Angenette Levy."
Janel Grant, a 43-year-old resident of Stamford, Conn., filed the lawsuit on Thursday.
In response, a spokesperson for McMahon said that the lawsuit was "riddled with falsehoods, baseless fabrications of events that never transpired, and a malicious distortion of the truth."
"Mr. McMahon intends to vigorously defend himself against these allegations," the spokesperson said.
However, that hasn't helped McMahon salvage himself from the bombshell claims of sexual assault. He resigned from his roles at TKO Group Holdings and WWE on Friday evening.
"Vince McMahon has tendered his resignation from his positions as TKO Executive Chairman and on the TKO Board of Directors. He will no longer have a role with TKO Group Holdings or WWE," said Nick Khan, president of the WWE.
As of now, McMahon denies the allegations. However, following his resignation he said that he stepped down "out of respect for the WWE Universe, the extraordinary TKO business and its board members and shareholders, partners and constituents, and all of the employees and Superstars who helped make WWE into the global leader it is today, I have decided to resign from my executive chairmanship and the TKO board of directors, effective immediately."
Damaging Allegations
The lawsuit follows a Wall Street Journal report last year, indicating that WWE was investigating an alleged $3 million payment from McMahon to a female employee who was leaving the company after a consensual affair.
In the current lawsuit, Grant, previously unnamed, claims that she received an initial payment of $1 million but did not receive any additional payments thereafter.
McMahon is also accused of sharing nude photos and explicit videos of Grant without her consent with other WWE employees, according to the lawsuit.
The complaint states that McMahon once locked her inside his personal locker room at WWE headquarters in Stamford, Conn., where he allegedly forced himself on her over a massage table.
The lawsuit also claims that McMahon instructed Grant to have sex with other executives and a wrestling star.
John Laurinaitis, former head of talent relations at WWE and a defendant in the lawsuit, is allegedly claimed to have been hired by McMahon to have sex with Grant.
According to the lawsuit, McMahon allegedly asked Grant to visit Laurinaitis in his hotel rooms where she had sex with him before workdays. The legal document further claims that in an incident at WWE offices in June 2021, McMahon and Laurinaitis allegedly forced themselves on her and took turns restraining her for each other.
"No means yes" and "Take it, b—h" were among the things McMahon and Laurinaitis said to Grant during the alleged assault, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit claims that, in July 2021, McMahon instructed Grant to produce sexualized content on her phone and send it to Brock Lesnar, a former UFC star whom WWE was reportedly trying to sign at the time.
According to a regulatory filing, federal law enforcement agents executed a search warrant and served a federal grand jury subpoena to McMahon last July.
The filing by WWE with the Securities and Exchange Commission notes that although government investigations into McMahon are still ongoing, no charges have been filed against him as of now.
The company stated that it has received both voluntary and compulsory legal requests for documents, including those from federal law enforcement and regulatory agencies. These requests pertain to the ongoing investigation and related subject matters.
"In 2022, WWE formed a special committee to review allegations of misconduct against me," McMahon said in a statement.
"That review was concluded in November 2022 following an extensive investigation."
McMahon said that "throughout this experience, I have always denied any intentional wrongdoing and continue to do so."
"I am confident that the government's investigation will be resolved without any findings of wrongdoing."
