A woman who accused former WWE leader Vince McMahon of sexual battery is asking the wrestling promotion to drop its confidentiality agreement.
On Tuesday, lawyers for Janel Grant, a former WWE employee, sent a letter to legal representatives for the WWE asking for them to lift nondisclosure agreements for other current and former employees, as well as contractors. This move could allow others with similar allegations to come forward. Grant previously accused McMahon of sexual battery and trafficking.
Grant, who worked in WWE’s legal and talent departments from 2019 to 2022, filed a lawsuit in January against the company, McMahon and former WWE executive John Laurinaitis. The suit includes detailed allegations of sexual assault, harassment, trafficking and other forms of physical and emotional abuse.
McMahon’s spokesperson, Curtis Vogel, declined to comment to The Associated Press, while attorneys for WWE and Laurinaitis did not respond to email inquiries late Monday. Emails sent to WWE’s parent company, Endeavor Group Holdings, and its subsidiary, TKO Group Holdings, also went unanswered.
McMahon has previously denied the allegations made by Grant.
Then-WWE CEO Vince McMahon attends a press conference on February 16, 2012, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. On Tuesday, a woman who accused McMahon of sexual battery called on the WWE to lift its confidentiality agreements.
Michael N. Todaro/Getty Images/Getty Images
McMahon stepped down as WWE’s CEO in 2022 following an internal investigation into allegations that align with those in Grant’s lawsuit. In January, just one day after Grant filed her suit, McMahon also resigned as executive chairman of the board of TKO Group Holdings.
“If WWE and its parent company Endeavor are serious about parting ways with Vince McMahon and the toxic workplace culture he created, their executives should have no problem with releasing former WWE employees from their NDAs,” Grant’s attorney, Ann Callis, said in a statement. “This is the first step to rehabilitating a company that covered up decades of sexual assault and human trafficking.”
In response to Grant’s lawsuit, McMahon issued a statement calling the claims “replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and a vindictive distortion of the truth.”
He vowed to vigorously defend himself against the accusations and clear his name. McMahon’s attorneys also stated in court documents that he had a consensual relationship with Grant and denied any mistreatment.
Laurinaitis’ attorney has denied the allegations against him, asserting that he is also a victim in the case.
Grant claims she was pressured to resign from WWE and sign a $3 million nondisclosure agreement. Her lawsuit seeks to invalidate the agreement, alleging McMahon violated its terms by paying her only $1 million and failing to provide the remaining amount.
According to a July 2022 report from The Wall Street Journal, four other women formerly connected to WWE signed agreements with McMahon that prevented them from discussing their relationships with him. The report, based on sources familiar with the agreements and reviewed documents, noted that Grant was not one of those women, her representatives confirmed.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
