Janel Grant was a former WWE employee. She was part of the legal and talent departments between 2019 -2022. Unfortunately, she wasn't aware of the potential antics of her boss, Vince McMahon. It was his behaviour towards her that has not only resulted in her leaving but also a lawsuit being filed against him.
In 2024, she filed a lawsuit alleging sex trafficking and sexual abuse. It was this that led Vince McMahon to resign from both the WWE and TKO Group Holdings. The lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District for the District of Connecticut early this year introduced Grant as, "the victim of physical and emotional abuse, sexual assault and trafficking at WWE." It contained some scathing allegations against Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis, and they are currently under investigation.
The lawsuit filed by Grant revealed that she had joined the company at a dire time in her life after losing both her parents. The filing further went on to elucidate the allegations made by Grant who stated that she was a victim of extreme depravity by Vince McMahon. It read, "McMahon also subjected Ms. Grant to acts of extreme cruelty and degradation that caused Ms. Grant to disassociate and/or become numb to reality in order to survive the horrific encounters."
Wrestle Ops wrote on X, "Ann Callis, Janel Grant’s attorney, on the lawsuit aimed at Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis & WWE: Says that her "office and my inbox have had a barrage of people wanting to come forward to attest about this culture of corruption and also possible victims. We are just beginning now to wade through all this but we’re frankly overwhelmed."— Interview w/NewsNation
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has confirmed that Vince McMahon violated federal law on two occasions by failing to disclose hush-money payments aimed at concealing allegations of abuse and harassment.
Ann Callis issued the following statement in response to the SEC findings:
"During his time leading WWE, Vince McMahon acted as if rules did not apply to him, and now we have confirmation that he repeatedly broke the law to cover up his horrifying behaviour, including human trafficking. The SEC’s charges prove that the NDA [Non-Disclosure Agreement] Vince McMahon coerced Ms. Grant into signing violates the law, and therefore her case must be heard in court. While prosecutors for the Southern District of New York continue their criminal investigation, we look forward to bringing forward new evidence in our civil case about the sexual exploitation Ms. Grant endured at WWE by Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis."
The deal, stemming from a lack of disclosure to WWE board members and executives about hush-money payments to two women, proves that he, "repeatedly broke the law to cover up his horrifying behaviour," Callis said. A non-disclosure agreement Grant signed, "violates the law," the statement continued. "Therefore, her case must be heard in court."
The settlement fined Vince McMahon $ 400 000 and ordered him to reimburse WWE $ 1.3 million for violating, "the Securities and Exchange Act, by knowingly circumventing WWE's internal accounting controls and that he directly or indirectly made or caused to be made false or misleading statements to WWE's auditor."
Vince McMahon, himself, commented on the ruling. He wrote on X, "The case is closed. Today ends nearly three years of investigation by different governmental agencies. There has been a great deal of speculation about what exactly the government was investigating and what the outcome would be. As today's resolution shows, much of that statement was misguided and misleading."
"In the end, there was never anything more to this than minor accounting errors with regard to some personal payments that I made several years ago while I was CEO of WWE. I'm thrilled that I can now put all this behind me."
The statement highlights the gravity of the allegations against Vince McMahon, emphasising the need for both civil and criminal proceedings to address the actions detailed in the SEC's findings.
Janel Grant’s attorneys indicated in new court filings that Grant plans to modify her lawsuit against WWE, Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis. The amended complaint is expected to be filed on 15 January 2025, a year after the initial lawsuit was filed on 25 January 2024.
It remains unclear what specific changes Grant, a former WWE paralegal, plans to make in her amended complaint.
Grant’s original 67-page complaint detailed graphic allegations of sexual assault against Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis. She also accuses VinceMcMahon of sex trafficking, including using potential sexual encounters with her as a bargaining chip during the re-negotiation of Brock Lesnar’s talent contract.
The defendants have denied the allegations.
Grant also asserted in her initial complaint that WWE leaders—including current President, Nick Khan and former executives, Brad Blum, Stephanie McMahon and Brian Nurse—were aware of and complicit in Vince McMahon’s behaviour, arguing that makes WWE liable as well. Executives other than Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis are not accused of abuse. WWE said last year that Khan had no knowledge of Grant’s sexual abuse allegations before the lawsuit was filed.
The defendants are continuing to push to move the case out of public court and into private arbitration, citing an arbitration clause in the Non-Disclosure Agreement signed between Vince McMahon and Janel Grant in January 2022.
Shortly after the stay recently expired on 11 December, all three defendants refiled their motions to compel arbitration, with submissions made on 23 and 24 December. Those filings largely resembled their earlier motions. However, Vince McMahon notably included a new detail, hinting at the possibility of a defamation suit against Janel Grant in the future.
"While it will be impossible to fully remedy the wrong of publicising [Grant’s] salacious and false allegations, Defendant McMahon will pursue appropriate remedies at the proper juncture," McMahon’s attorney wrote.
"Vince McMahon’s motion to compel arbitration is another desperate attempt to silence Janel Grant," Grant’s lead attorney, Ann Callis, said in a statement to POST Wrestling. "We know the truth of his abusive and exploitative behaviour against Ms. Grant, including sexual assault and human trafficking. Ms. Grant deserves the opportunity to tell her story and have her day in court."
McMahon’s representatives didn’t address Callis’s statement when asked for comment.
The case was put on hold in June to accommodate a federal investigation by the Southern District of New York, which was reportedly considering criminal charges against Vince McMahon. While Grant’s attorneys say that investigation remains active, no charges have been filed and the six-month stay expired on 11 December.
This is a case of a person believing they are bulletproof and immune from trouble. However, as time goes on and they lose any power they may possess, the supposed bulletproof person will soon find themselves in trouble. This clearly paints a clear image of Vince McMahon. He's clearly a disguting and delusional person (at least to me). A danger or warning sign is probably what's needed whenever he's around.