A recent lawsuit filed by Janel Grant, a former employee at WWE’s headquarters, has brought forth serious accusations of sex trafficking against Vince McMahon, the WWE itself, and a former executive.
In the lawsuit, Grant claims that she was subjected to abuse and sexual exploitation by Vince McMahon during his tenure as chief executive. She alleges that McMahon enticed her with promises of career advancement and subsequently exploited and trafficked her to other men within the company. The lawsuit provides graphic details of Grant’s encounters with McMahon and another WWE executive.
One disturbing incident reportedly took place on June 15, 2021, when McMahon and the executive allegedly locked Grant in an office at WWE’s headquarters in Stamford, Conn., and took turns sexually assaulting her while other staff members were working. Another incident, occurring on June 23, 2021, involved McMahon allegedly locking Grant inside his private locker room at WWE’s offices and forcing himself on her over a massage table. The lawsuit also claims that McMahon’s personal assistant delivered $15,000 in Bloomingdale’s gift cards to Grant in her office on the same day.
Evidence presented in the lawsuit includes screenshots of explicit text messages that McMahon purportedly sent to Grant. One message from May 2020 reads, “I’m the only one who owns U and controls who I want to f— U.”
The lawsuit raises concerns about the thoroughness of an internal company probe conducted by a law firm last year. If the allegations are substantiated, it could indicate a failure in WWE’s internal processes to address such serious matters appropriately.