Grant details graphic abuse claims against McMahon in filing
Janel Grant, a former WWE employee suing the company and its former CEO Vince McMahon, filed new graphic allegations this week in U.S. District Court in Connecticut. The filing expands on claims that McMahon and others subjected her to physical and emotional abuse, sexual assault and trafficking from 2019 to 2022. Grant alleges WWE leaders knew of and facilitated the abuse while doing nothing to protect her.
Grant worked at WWE from June 2019 to 2022. She claims McMahon recruited her and exerted coercive control, forcing her into violent sexual encounters that caused lasting injuries. The suit states McMahon pressured her to sign a nondisclosure agreement and assaulted her afterward. Former executive John Laurinaitis, initially named, has been removed from the lawsuit.
McMahon has denied the allegations. In an April 2024 filing, he called the claims fiction contradicted by Grant's own past statements, including a letter describing their relationship positively. He stepped down as WWE CEO in 2022 and from TKO Group, WWE's parent company after its merger with UFC, in 2024.
TKO stated in January 2024 that it takes the allegations seriously and is addressing them internally, noting the matter predates its executive team's tenure. The lawsuit continues.
