WWE’s Vince McMahon Accused of Sex Trafficking in Lawsuit From Ex-Staffer

WWE co-founder Vince McMahon is accused of abusing and sexually trafficking a former staffer in a lawsuit filed Thursday.

In the suit, Janel Grant—a former employee of WWE—alleges that McMahon, 78, brought her into the company with promises that her career would rise before exploiting her and using sexual experiences with her as a way to attract talent.

The civil lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut and was obtained by Newsweek, names McMahon and former WWE head of talent relations John Laurinaitis. It seeks to void a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) signed by Grant in 2022, as well as unspecified financial damages. No criminal charges have been filed against McMahon or Laurinaitis at this time.

Newsweek reached out to representatives for McMahon and the WWE by email and reached out to Laurinaitis via social media requesting comment.

The lawsuit contains graphic descriptions of sexual assault, some of which are described below.

The lawsuit accuses McMahon and Laurinaitis of sexually assaulting and trafficking Grant for years.

Grant alleges that in June 2021, McMahon and Laurinaitis locked her in an office and sexually assaulted her with staff working outside, telling her that “No means yes” as she “begged” them to stop.

Per the suit, the WWE was aware of the abuse and “attempted to sweep the matter under the rug.”

McMahon also sent Grant to Laurinaitis at the start of workdays to have sex in the executive’s hotel room, the suit alleges, adding that Grant told McMahon she left the hotel “feeling bad about myself every time.”

The suit also includes screenshots of texts McMahon is alleged to have sent to Grant, including one in May 2020 saying, “i’m the only one who owns U and controls who I want to f— U.” Per the suit, McMahon frequently shared nude photos and explicit videos of Grant without her consent as entertainment for other employees, and he bragged to her that she had a “fan club.” McMahon frequently reminded Grant that the explicit content was widespread, once telling her “by now thousands of men see U everyday all over the world. They all want to f— you,” the suit alleges.

According to the lawsuit, Grant was in a difficult financial situation in 2019 and needed work. She was introduced to McMahon by the building manager of her apartment, and she was brought on in June 2019 in a position McMahon created specifically for her within the legal department. The suit alleges McMahon initially pressured her into sexual activities, and that he warned her to keep those activities quiet.

In 2020, according to the suit, McMahon began using Grant as a way to attract talent. He is alleged to have instructed Grant to create sexual content for a WWE performer the league wanted to re-sign in July 2021.

The lawsuit says that Grant began having panic attacks due to the increasingly violent nature of McMahon’s instructions. In 2021, the lawsuit alleges, McMahon texted Grant: “I want to drive U lower and lower. So low that U might beg me to sell U.”

According to the suit, McMahon pressured Grant to sign her NDA in exchange for $3 million. After she signed and he paid her $1 million, he stopped making payments and continued to sexually abuse her. The suit alleges he tried to traffic her to a WWE star again in March 2022 after the NDA was signed.

Per the suit, Grant’s relationship with McMahon left her “crippled, both physically and mentally, including from debilitating symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder
and suicidal ideation.”

The WWE disclosed $19.6 million in unrecorded payments by McMahon in 2022, per an SEC filing. McMahon was served with a grand jury subpoena in 2023, but no criminal charges have been brought. McMahon denied any “intentional wrongdoing” and expressed confidence the federal probe will be resolved.