SUMMARY
- Vince McMahon is facing allegations of s*xual assault in a s*x trafficking lawsuit filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant.
- Grant alleges that Vince emotionally, s*xually, and physically abused her while she worked at WWE.
Vince McMahon is a name that every professional wrestling fan is aware of. The co-founder of the modern WWE is also the current executive chairman of the WWE’s parent company, TKO Group Holdings.
The 78-year-old is often in the news owing to his promotion and businesses. But recently, his name has been all over the headlines for the wrong reasons. A former employee of his own organization has recently accused him in a s*x trafficking lawsuit. Moreover, this isn’t the first time a woman has accused Vince McMahon of s*xual harassment before.
Janel Grant filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut on January 25, 2024. In which some serious allegations have been directed towards Vince.
Vince McMahon has been accused of emotionally, s*xually, and physically abusing and exploiting Janel Grant for s*xual pleasures while she was working for WWE and he was still the CEO of the company. Furthermore, Grant has also named another member of McMahon’s team as a defendant in this case. John Laurinaitis, who was the former head of talent relations in the WWE.
When did Janel Grant join WWE?
Janel Grant’s lawsuit states that the reason behind the filing was to stand up for the women who also allegedly suffered abuse and were afraid to speak up. This is all people need to know what kind of person Janel Grant is. In her lawsuit, she has talked intensively about how Vince McMahon preyed on her vulnerable state with no regard for her well-being right from the first time they met.
Here’s the full complaint in an ex-employee’s new sex trafficking lawsuit against Vince McMahon and @WWE.
“As McMahon dangled career-making and life-changing promises in front of Ms. Grant, he demonstrated an increasing lack of boundaries.” https://t.co/c7jejCtrEm pic.twitter.com/aaMH1bouNY
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) January 25, 2024
Ms. Grant met Vince McMahon for the first time in March 2019, when she was emotionally disturbed after the tragic demise of her parents. Financially struggling and unemployed, she faced challenges during that period. The Resident Manager of the building she lived in connected her with Vince who happened to live in the same building.
It was then, after a few meetings, that she succumbed to the pressure of getting into a physical relationship for a promise of a job opportunity at WWE. She joined the company as an “administrator-coordinator” in WWE’s legal department.
In the following 3 months of the first meeting with Mr. McMahon, Janel Grant attended her first day at work in the WWE on June 17, 2019. She quickly realized that she wasn’t getting the same amount of work as her co-workers were. She was later shifted to the “Talent Relations” department of the WWE to work under John Laurinaitis.
THREAD 1/2 (TW):
Screenshots of Vince McMahon’s messages from the new sex trafficking lawsuit: pic.twitter.com/pqx78GHSwU
— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) January 25, 2024
According to her filed Lawsuit, she was employed at WWE from June 2019 to January 2023. She was terminated from employment on January 27, 2023, due to all the trauma she suffered. And also because of her inability to get out of her house on some days. But in February 2022, she informed the HR at WWE of her decision to leave through formal communication.
A list of gifts the plaintiff (Ms. Grant) received during her association with Vince McMahon
During her time at WWE and her association with Vince McMahon (from 2019 until early 2022), the plaintiff, Janel Grant received a lot of gifts from the defendant which were purchased at the expense of the organization. Mr. McMahon gave these gifts mostly to enforce a sense of “control” over the plaintiff.
The following list has been cited directly from the Lawsuit filed by Ms. Janel Grant in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.
Examples of the items received by Ms. Grant from McMahon in 2019 included the
following:
a. Alternative Clinic medical care and medical & cosmetic services and products;
b. Clubhousfull-day tickets to the Belmont Stakes;
c. WrestleMania private full-day transportation & premium tickets;
d. A $2,000 Nordstrom gift card; and
e. A massive box of Godiva.
Examples of the items received by Ms. Grant from McMahon in 2020 included the
following:
a. $20,000 towards surgery (paid directly to a surgeon’s office);
b. Pearl/diamond pave lariat necklace from Betteridge in Greenwich, CT;
c. Blue cashmere knee-length cardigan (Nordstrom);
d. Blue Burberry check cashmere scarf (Nordstrom);
e. Blue cashmere & fur hat (Nordstrom);
f. Grey cashmere shawl (Nordstrom);
g. Celine sunglasses (Nordstrom);
f. Cable knit throw blanket; and
g. Large bouquets of flowers were delivered approximately every other week.
Examples of the items received by Ms. Grant from McMahon in 2021 included the
following:
a. 2022 BMW 430XI;
b. $5,000 gift certificate at Landphier Spa;
c. Two private chef-catered dinners in McMahon’s condo;
d. Gold & diamond pave paperclip necklace from Betteridge in Greenwich, CT;
e. $15,000 Bloomingdale’s gift cards;
With regards to the new sex trafficking lawsuit:
In July 2021, the suit said, Vince McMahon instructed Grant to create personalized sexual content for a WWE superstar that he was trying to re-sign. The suit didn’t name the professional wrestler, but described him as both a UFC… pic.twitter.com/Fj5UJGu7X5
— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) January 25, 2024
Vince McMahon has come under major scrutiny after the recent developments in this case. A spokesperson from his side has claimed his innocence in the matter but this is not something that will be going down quickly.
As a result, this could turn into a very long legal battle as more facts start coming to light. Furthermore, some have speculated on the involvement of Brock Lesnar in the s*x trafficking lawsuit.