- STING 64
- Oct 20, 2006
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Here is the massive write-up Dave did in the observer regarding this story. It's thorough so be warned.
quote:For third time since last June’s revelation about women being paid hush money regarding sexual activity involving Vince McMahon, charges in a lawsuit filed on 1/25, may finally end the career of the most powerful man in the history of the industry.
Of course, McMahon seemed to be in jeopardy the first time, was essentially pressured out of the company after a second set of revelations, the board of directors voted unanimously to now allow him to return, but he powered past that, changed a few faces on the board and returned, and remained as the Chairman of the Board of the new company, but out of creative power. McMahon has been reeling on the ropes multiple times during his four decades as the czar of the industry, but has always bounced back.
This time, unless the allegations made in the 67-page lawsuit by former mistress Janel Grant in U.S. District Court in the District of Connecticut, are able to be discredited almost completely, the claims are so revolting that there should be “no chance in hell” that he remain in the company. The charges run way past embarrassing, and the text messages shown in the suit by themselves are reprehensible enough that even if one chooses to claim the rape allegations are made up and it was consensual, the texts alone should make it impossible for McMahon to remain. Giving him every benefit of the doubt, the texts alone, unless they can be proven as faked, are far more than enough to where he needs to be away from this industry for good. At best, this was the most powerful man in the company and industry having a totally inappropriate relationship with an underling, hiring someone he’s having sex with and giving her a fake job.
At face value, the suit claims rape, misuse of company funds and paints a horrible picture of upper management that knew, of many in the company who passed around pornographic photos of an employee.
The claims are such that it also implicates the former WWE Board of Directors and their investigation, with her claiming she was willing and ready to talk and they never talked with her.
Grant filed a lawsuit against McMahon, WWE and John Laurinaitis claiming a violations of the Trafficking Victims Prevention Act (against McMahon and Laurinaitis), Participating in Ventures in Violation of the Trafficking Victims Prevention Act (against the WWE), Negligence (against WWE), Civil Battery (against WWE, McMahon and Laurinaitis), International or Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress (against WWE, McMahon and Laurinaitis) and Declaratory Relief.
“Today’s complaint seeks to hold accountable two WWE executives who sexually assaulted and trafficked Plaintiff Janel Grant, as well as the organization that facilitated or turned a blind eye to the abuse and then swept it under the rug,” said Ann Callis, attorney for Ms. Grant. “She is an incredibly private and courageous person who has suffered deeply at the hands of Mr. McMahon and Mr. Laurinaitis. Ms. Grant hopes that her lawsuit will prevent other women from being victimized. The organization is well aware of Mr. McMahon’s history of depraved behavior, and it’s time that they take responsibility for the misconduct of its leadership.”
The suit alleges that McMahon and Laurinaitis, on WWE property and using WWE funding, engaged in both sexual assault and sexual trafficking of Grant, both for their own pleasure and as a pawn to secure talent deals with prospective wrestlers they were recruiting.
She alleges that having her have sex with one former UFC fighter (Brock Lesnar) was used as part of contract negotiations to sign him to a new deal.
She claimed McMahon used sex toys named after other WWE employees, wrestlers and performers to sexually groom Grant for trafficking to those same people.
She said that she was seeking to have her NDA that she signed declared invalid.
She claimed that McMahon would shower her with gifts and empty work promotions, while at the same time threaten her livelihood and her reputation if she wouldn’t succumb to is sexual demands, including disseminating pornography of Grant to “thousands” of individuals and engaging her in sex acts with other WWE employees, some of whom were complete strangers to her.
The suit outright claimed McMahon and Laurinaitis allegedly raped her in a WWE conference room, ignoring her protests and saying, “No means yes” and “Take it, bitch.”
She claimed after years of emotional and sexual abuse and manipulation, and after Linda McMahon had learned of the relationship, Grant was pressured to resign and forced to sign an NDA under the guise that McMahon would protect her financially and reputation and pay her $3 million. McMahon paid her $1 million, and then stopped making payments, saying Grant had leaked information to the press.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages as well as a declaratory judgment that a nondisclosure agreement Grant signed while she was a WWE employee is “void and unenforceable, and does not bar any of Plaintiff’s claims against Defendants McMahon and WWE.”
The WWE did not respond to questions regarding the suit. WWE talent was told to lay low and not talk about anything other than the Royal Rumble or storyline related things.
A spokesperson for McMahon told Deadline, “This lawsuit is replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and a vindictive distortion of the truth. He will vigorously defend himself.”
A spokesperson for TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of WWE and UFC, said in a statement: “Mr. McMahon does not control TKO nor does he oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE. While this matter predates our TKO executive team’s tenure at the company, we take Ms. Grant’s horrific allegations very seriously and are addressing this matter internally.”
McMahon first stepped down as CEO of WWE in June 2022 after investigations showed he had made $19.6 million in payments, most related to sexual misconduct charges. Since then other payments, including to former referee Rita Chatterton, who had claimed McMahon raped her in July 1986, were agreed upon in early 2023 as McMahon returned to power and began the process of selling the company.
McMahon also paid WWE $17.4 million for costs the company incurred in investigating misconduct allegations against him.
After the merger, McMahon sold about $670 million worth of company stock, but still is among the largest shareholders of the company, owning 11.5 percent of company stock. But he has no special voting power as he did previously, allowing him to get himself back in power if TKO decides to cut bait. As we’ve seen by TKO bending over backwards to keep him and their non-discipline of Dana White when he was on video slapping his wife, they are very much willing to look the other way in these situations. The reality is even Emanuel has to answer for not doing due diligence on the claims, particularly given the Chatterton settlement and other NDA’s showing a pattern, and keeping him as one of the most powerful people, the Chairman, even after what came out.
McMahon became executive chairman of the board for TKO Group Holdings in the merger in September. In November he sold 30 percent of his stock to the company.
According to the complaint, McMahon met Grant in March 2019. Grant claimed at the time she was struggling financially after devoting years to around-the-clock caregiving, and then her parents passed away, she was unemployed and her family home was lost in her parents’ bankruptcy.
Grant, claimed that in looking for employment, she took non-paying jobs and did volunteer work in the community, to build up a resume. The building Resident Manager contacted McMahon, said she had been through hardship and McMahon agreed to give her a job.
McMahon allegedly befriended Grant, gave her attention, assurance and a VIP experience at WrestleMania, but in meetings about getting a job at WWE, he allegedly once greeted her in his underwear, touched her, repeatedly asked for hugs and spent hours sharing intimate details about his personal life.
She said he had told McMahon about her situation, losing her parents her home and the family bankruptcy. McMahon told her about his traumatic childhood, his separation from his wife, who he called “his ex” and said she was “long gone,” said his marriage was an arrangement on paper for business purposes and he lived a quiet, isolated life outside of work. On that first meeting, on or about March 23, 2019, McMahon closed saying he didn’t want to just give her a job, but give her a life. She said she thanked him for changing his life. He said he’d get the ball rolling but it was a busy time of the year with WrestleMania coming, and invited Grant to come to WrestleMania as his guest along with the manager of the building both lived at and the person introduced them to each other.
On March 31, 2019, McMahon unexpectedly invited Grant to come to his condo for pointers on meeting with a corporate officer. McMahon gave her a huge embrace and suggested they sit on the couch. She said McMahon never gave her any pointers for the interview except to say if the subject comes up during her meeting, to say she met McMahon through a mutual friend.
She said she and her building manager got a VIP experience at WrestleMania, including private transportation he had arranged. She said after WrestleMania, McMahon invited her to his condo on several occasions, assuring her he would find the right position for her in WWE.
She said McMahon told her she had qualities he described as rare fits, using the terms her “goodness,” “vivaciousness,” “childlike innocence” and her ability to be “vulnerable.”
During one visit in April 2019, she said McMahon didn’t come to the door when she arrived, but said to come in and told her to come to his walk-in closet in the master bedroom, and he came out of the bathroom wearing only briefs. He then handed her a shirt and asked for help with the buttons.
At another point he said she had to keep everything quiet, described an attorney he had on speed dial as “the best of the best” at making problems, and people who become problems, go away.
On May 5, 2019, at his condo, the topic of bucket lists came out, and she said she always wanted to go to the Belmont Stakes, one of the biggest horse racing events of the year. McMahon said he’d get two tickets for them, and Grant said she couldn’t accept.. She claimed he came on to her and she rejected his advances and that he was putting her in a bad position. She said he forcibly kissed her and began to pull down a strap on her sweater. She claimed she got up, said she needed to leave and said she had a lot to process.
She was then offered a job with the company.
On May 11, 2019, at her condo, she claimed he asked her to lay in bed with her and she questioned how he wanted nobody to know anything about them but at the same time was telling corporate officers to get her a job and he said, “It’s my company,” and then she claimed he undressed down to his briefs and began coming on to her.
On May 17, 2019, she received an offer letter for an entry level job as a legal administrator-coordinator for $75,000 per year. The next day she claimed McMahon told her she would be working for a person who worked in risk and government relations, who was a decades-long family friend and confidante, one of the original group of people who helped he company expand from a regional territory to a worldwide company. She said outside of his attorney, that this person was the most feared person in the company because he was the one who fired employees. He said the employee had no family once his spouse passed away and the McMahons were his surrogate family and that the employee would protect her. She claimed McMahon then took her to his bedroom. She claimed she feared career and personal consequences if she declined his advances.
She claimed on June 16, 2019, she asked McMahon to end any physical relationship while remaining friends to avoid personal risks for both of them. She claimed McMahon refused, told her it was not ending, it didn’t need to end, and that he never envisioned it would end. She said and she was feeling her job wasn’t earned and McMahon said all she needed to do was not tell anyone anything.
She said she started working there and there wasn’t much work involved for her while everyone else in the office had never-ending work. Grant said she would only get overflowing messages with controlling and sexually charged text messages where McMahon would talk of his power and ever-present surveillance.
When she was working in the XFL, she said she raised an issue regarding the XFL’s PED policy with McMahon, and one of the corporate officers became cold and hostile. She said McMahon continued sending sexually charged messages throughout the work week and believed her employment depended on being obedient to McMahon and believing she needed protection from the corporate officer who was hostile to her, she felt she had no choice. But she said she began experiencing panic attacks in the office on a nearly-daily basis.
She claimed McMahon pressured her to send him explicit photographs, and she complied, and she was told they would remain private. She claimed he started talking about a fascination with having people watch them have sex. She claimed to experience pain and bleeding from forceful use of sex toys. She claimed he was most aggressive when he used sex toys that he named after male WWE wrestlers and performers. She claimed he would name a black dildo after an African-American wrestler, a white dildo after a Caucasian wrestler. Then she claimed he would demand she perform sex acts for and have sexual contact with others. She claimed once when watching a smaller wrestler against a large wrestler, she gave McMahon thoughts about the match and rooting for the underdog, and gave him ideas for future events. She said McMahon complemented her and then named a dildo after the smaller wrestler and attempted to sexualize the situation.
In November 2019, she claimed she told McMahon that her doctor suggested her symptoms were from trauma and ongoing stress and McMahon mocked her saying, “emotional trauma my rear end.”
McMahon set up a celebrity doctor for her to see and that he would take care of her medical bills.
She claimed on February 3, 2020, McMahon sent a message to Grant saying that a high-ranking employee who made hiring decisions had told him there were a lot of rumors going around about them being together. He said that wasn’t good for either of them and one week later, with no warning, she was moved to working for the XFL.
On March 6, 2020, she said she requested to stay working for the XFL, saying her WWE work was “nothingness” and wanted to be officially changed from being a WWE employee to an XFL employee. She said she told McMahon but her request was denied.
She claimed that while McMahon told her to “play dumb” and to deny any stories. She claimed he began showing explicit photos of her around, to people both inside and outside the company.
On March 26, 2020, she claimed McMahon sent her a lengthy message describing in detail his sharing explicit photos of Grant to a former WWE referee. McMahon described how the former WWE referee left the room to masturbate and told her he had made a perfect stranger very happy.
Grant said she didn’t believe the story, feeling it was just fantasy talk because of how reckless that would be, but did bring up apprehension about McMahon sharing naked photos of her to someone she didn’t know, and his response was to tell her how loyal the referee was to him.
On March 30, 2020, she claimed McMahon messaged her that the former referee showed a friend a naked photo of her, saying McMahon shared the photos with others and encouraged them to share them with their friends.
The next day she told McMahon she had no intention of having sex with those strangers and requested McMahon make that clear, as she felt threatened and distressed by the responses the photos were getting.
McMahon later told her he had protected her from job furloughs that the company would soon be announcing. These would be the furloughs after the pandemic started. McMahon she claimed emphasized he personally made sure she wouldn’t be furloughed. She claimed she felt even more dependent on him after a majority of the support staff in the legal department, all hired before her, were furloughed.
She claimed in May, McMahon brought in a friend for threesomes. She said the friend was McMahon’s physical therapist at Alternative Clinic. She claimed McMahon began calling her his girlfriend and sent her flowers. She said on May 8, 2020, she expressed apprehension at being in a threesome and he said plans were already made and he’d lose a friend if she didn’t go through with it.
The suit claims McMahon warned Grant to keep their closeness a secret, because of the possibility of it going public, and said that while he protects people loyal to him, he had world-class legal resources on speed-dial to deal with those who became a problem to him.
Grant claimed in the suit she was forced into an impossible situation when he pushed for a physical relationship in exchange for long-promised employment and submitted to his sexual demands and then given an entry-level position as an administrator-coordinator, a position McMahon created for her in the legal department and she began working with the company on June 17, 2019.
She was temporarily assigned in 2020 to work for the XFL, and was then transferred to work in the talent relations department, reporting to Laurinaitis, on March 9, 2021. McMahon told her the change was made because her presence in the legal department was delaying efforts to hire a new General Counsel for the company.
McMahon and Laurinaitis told her that with the change she was promoted to Vice President of Operations in the Talent Relations department. But then they told her that they needed her to start as a Director, but promised that after a 12-month period they would promote her to Vice President.
The time line of this coincides with previous stories of McMahon wanting to bump up her pay to a big number and others saying that raised red flags, so bumped it up to far less, but promised it would in time be what she attempted to bump it up to.
During this period the suit said Grant attempted to end the sexual relationship, and “while she came to understand that McMahon expected the physical relationship to continue as part of her employment–she had no idea how it would become.”
She claimed psychological torture and physical violent left her feeling helpless, isolated and trapped.
She claimed that in March 2020, McMahon began sharing sexually explicit photos and videos of her, including pornographic content he had recorded of therm, with other men both inside and outside of the company. She said this included members of the televison production “tech” team, executive(s), producer(s) and a former UFC heavyweight champion (Lesnar) that the company was attempting to sign to a new deal, and ultimately signed him to another deal.
She claimed that while he was CEO and she had an entry level position in he legal department, McMahon recruited individuals to have sex with Grant or with both of them, would direct Grant to visit Laurinaitis prior to the start of workdays for sexual encounters, and directed Grant to engage in sexual encounters at WWE headquarters, at times during working hours.
He told her to keep the relationship secret and included telling her to lie about things to maintain the different cover stories he created.
She claimed McMahon told her she was safe and independent, but she said that rang hollow claiming he attempted to isolate her from friends and chip away at her identity. She claimed he described her as his “bitch,” his “fantasy”, and/or “his porn star” as well as “girlfriend,” “baby” and “love.”
She claimed that on March 9, 2020, he defecated on her during a threesome, ordered her to continue pleasuring his friend while she had feces in her hair and running down her back, while he went to the bathroom to shower off. She said that when he returned from the bathroom, McMahon and his friend resumed the threesome that lasted more than an hour and a half, while she remained covered in McMahon’s feces. Then when his friend left, McMahon ordered her to stay and continue to sexually gratify him.
She produced a very explicit text message from two days later in the suit.
She said he then pressured her into several other threesomes. Another text message was even more vulgar, talking about panties ripped off and three black dicks in all three holes at the same time.
On May 12, 2020, the suit claimed McMahon texted Grant and said “I’m the only one who owns U and controls who I want to f*** U.”
In July, the suit claimed McMahon wrote to her, “By now thousands of men see U everyday all over the world. They all want to f*** you.”
She claimed he started sharing explicit photographs and salacious stories about her to the crew at TV tapings, a group McMahon called his “fan club.”
There was a text in the suit talking about sharing photos with 12 guys on the tech crew, having them say how beautiful she was and how great her rear end looked and how she’d love to have sex with them three at a time and how they cheered when he said that.
She said that in November, McMahon pressured Grant to make explicit photos and videos for Laurinaitis. He would send Laurinaitis the content and even had them exchange numbers but McMahon insisted he be privy to any messages to and from Laurinaitis and she report back to him about all interactions.
She claimed on December 29, 2020, McMahon arranged a threesome with Laurinaitis at McMahon’s condo. Laurinaitis didn’t know her and McMahon told her to tell Laurinaitis she was a neighbor who worked in the legal field, and not to let him know she worked in a different department in WWE.
McMahon told her that Laurinaitis thanked him 12 times already.
She claimed on February 5, 2021, McMahon sent her a schedule for when different men, including the physical therapist and Laurinaitis could have sex with her. There were text messages released in the suit where the person who sent them, purportedly McMahon, talked about more than person begging to have sex with her and her saying to give her another week because she’s not feeling great, and the person texting back saying he’s already promised them and “Johnny wants Tuesdays but not this coming one and the occasional Saturday but maybe I can shift it to Thursday nights?? (Johnny would like all of the above).”
Grant claimed this caused breakdowns. She claimed another threesome on or about March 6, 2021.
She claimed the corporate officer that was cold to her dating back to her asking about the XFL drug policy, ended up fired in November 2020.
On March 9, 2021, she claimed McMahon informed her that top executives in the company knew about their relationship and said the plan was for her to change departments and told her to transfer to the Talent Relations department and work for Laurinaitis.
She claimed the next day she texted back expressing shock and concern about Laurinaitis, but claimed the transfer came with the expectation she would engage Laurinaitis sexually, physically and with explicit content.
She claimed on March 16, 2021, she was told to pick up a key to Laurinaitis’ hotel room and “serve herself to him as `breakfast’ before the start of work.”
She said a message on March 22, 2001, claiming from McMahon talked about showing him what a porno star “U can B.”
And also claimed he wrote, “On days when he’s in town, I want him to f*** U every morning and later in the office too.”
The suit showed an April 2, 2021 text which brought up having two other guys join with “him,” meaning Laurinaitis.
“You’ve told him U would do `anything’ with him so if he surprised U with two others U would have no altnerative than to take them on!!! OMG the stories U could tell me then. It makes me want to cum right now.”
In April, 2021, McMahon allegedly told Grant she would be given the title of Vice President of Operations in the Talent Relations department. Then she claimed he backtracked and said she would be Director of Operations to avoid suspicion of such a major promotion to Vice President, but that he had told people he wanted her to reach the level of Vice President, spend a year or two in that position and she’d be able to take that job title and experience anywhere.
Grant spoke of a corporate officer who told her the jump all the way to Vice President was too big and could put a target on her back. He gave her a salary increase to $200,000 per year.
She claimed forcible touching and overt sexual behavior became a part of daily life on the day when Laurinaitis was in the office. She claimed on numerous occasions she was directed to go to Laurinaitis’ hotel room before work and serve herself to him as his “breakfast.” She believed corporate funds from WWE were being used to finance Laurinaitis’ hotel stays when these “coerced sexual encounters” occurred.
She claimed she reported all her interactions with Laurinaitis to McMahon, claiming they were used as a source of arousal.
She claimed on March 24, 2021, McMahon messaged her to tell her a mistake could ruin her career and that she should engage in verbal communication rather than written when possible.
Another text in the suit said, “I totally understand and agree re. Being scared of communication and photos. Johnny gets drunk and sloppy and could easily make a mistake that could cost him his job and Urs too. Verbal communication is the way to go. That said, have U and Johnny talked about breakfast tomorrow.”
She claimed on June 14, 2021, she told McMahon she didn’t want to have sex with Laurinaitis and said “I’ve left that hotel feeling bad about myself every time.” She claimed McMahon said she could stop the one-on-ones, but that he expected the threesomes with Laurinaitis to continue.
She claimed the next day at about 7:51 a.m., she messaged McMahon and said due to working on an important project she didn’t want a threesome that week because “it’ll knock me out.” She offered the next week.
She said both ignored that, brought her into Laurinaitis’ office, forcibly touched and undressed her and forced her into a threesome on a conference table. That’s where she claimed she said “no” and McMahon said “No means yes.” and “take it bitch.”
She claimed on June 23, 2021, at around 11:42 a.m., McMahon directed Grant to meet her on a lower floor in his private locker room. He locked the door and she claimed he forced himself on her over a massage table. Later that day, McMahon’s personal assistant delivered $15,000 in gift cards to Bloomingdale’s for her.
She claimed even after McMahon’s promise that one-on-ones with Laurinaitis would end, and even after Laurinaitis’ wife (Kathy Laurinaitis, the mother of Nikki and Brie Garcia/Bella) moved across the country to be with him, he’d call Grant to his office and instruct her to give him oral sex.
She claims all the stress caused her gastrointestinal issues an vomiting, which continued through the rest of her time in WWE.
She said in July 2021, she claimed McMahon informed her that a WWE superstar would be her next “playmate.”
He also told her he wanted the superstar to sign a new contract as the superstar had shown an interest to return to “other professional endeavors.”
She claimed on or around July 12, 2021, McMahon directed Grant to create personalized sexual content for the superstar, said he shared the photos with the superstar and told Grant that he likes what he sees.
She claimed on July 21, 2021, McMahon flew and had the WWE superstar fly in to a local airport, come to Connecticut, across state lines, for what McMahon said was a business dinner and sexual encounter in McMahon’s condo. She believed the dinner was to discuss the superstar’s continued involvement with WWE. She said the superstar came to her building but never had he sexual encounter because “he was too intoxicated and taken back to the plane.”
She claimed McMahon that night suggested they “role play” a sexual encounter where McMahon would pretend to be that wrestler and said McMahon was so physically rough on her that she begged him to stop, claiming loud cries of “Help! “ ”I’m serious.” “I’m scared” and described vulgar acts including pulling her hair, shoving her and open palm slapping her. She claimed he later said, “I’m really f***ing up with you right and left tonight, huh?” She claimed he wouldn’t let her leave the condo until she verbally assured him there was no problem and everything was okay.
She said in August, 2021 that McMahon and the superstar secretly reached an informal agreement about his return.
The suit showed a text purportedly from “Vince” saying that “After I told him that part of the deal was f***ing U,” the superstar said, LOL, that’s your turf!! She will be ruined after me and leave your rear end! Plus after me, your tool won’t fit anymore.”
She claimed that in December 2021, McMahon gave Grant’s cell phone number to the superstar and promised him that she would do anything requested of her.
She claimed that the superstar told McMahon he requested that he send a video of her urinating.
She claimed the superstar told her if she didn’t comply, he’d lose any interest in her and called her a “bitch.”
She claimed the superstar wanted to do a “set a play date” but a snowstorm got in the way of his travel plans and Grant said she used the weather and COVID-19 as a way to back out.
In January 2022, McMahon told Grant he couldn’t talk to her again or be in the same room with her. She claimed on January 9, 2022, McMahon agreed to talk with her at his condo, and said that Linda McMahon had learned about the relationship, that he was going to lose his condo and she was going to divorce him and how the divorce would end up with her in the headlines.
She claimed he feared negative publicity and the repercussions of the divorce, and also to maintain his controlling interest in WWE, he told her if she left WWE and signed an NDA, he was confident Linda wouldn’t divorce him, he could keep his condo and Grant’s reputation would be unharmed.
She talked about concern about her name getting out and with all the content McMahon shared of her for two years, how that could get out and affect her career. McMahon said he’d make sure to keep her reputation intact and that he and another corporate officer would personally help her find a new job.
She claimed McMahon suggested she give a health-related excuse when anyone asked why she had left WWE.
He encouraged her to get an attorney who would work out the details with “Jerry” (McDevitt presumably) and then claimed the two had another sexual encounter.
On January 14, 2022, she claimed McMahon sent her a list of things and offered one-on-one career coaching. The two settled on a $3 million price for the NDA when she said McMahon’s offer of $1 million wasn’t enough to compensate for her lost earnings potential and that she was never promoted to Vice President. McMahon later agreed to the number but said it would be in several installment payments due to “cash flow purposes.” The deal was for $1 million in 2022 and $500,000 installment payments in February of 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. Grant said this made no sense given how rich McMahon was, and McMahon said that wasn’t his idea. She ended up only receiving the first $1 million.
She claimed McMahon continued to send sexual text message exchanges with Grant, including encouraging her to send explicit photos to a WWE superstar and also requested she send him the content of what she sent to the WWE superstar.
Grant said the NDA should include people who knew about the relationship, two corporate officers including one who was also a board member at the time, Laurinaitis and McMahon’s personal assistants. McMahon and WWE rejected her request.
On January 26, 2022, McMahon told her she needed to sign the NDA immediately, claiming he was under a tight deadline to report anything pending or threatened legal action to the Board of Directors, in specific to the Audit committee, and couldn’t do so until she signed the NDA.
She claimed McMahon pressed her to tell her that her attorney didn’t understand the urgency of the situation. He also said he and his attorney had concerns about her attorney and that they worried if he could be trusted, which led Grant to worry if her attorney could be trusted.
The next day she pushed for her to hurry up and sign and said he’d be “double f***ed” if she didn’t.
The WWE side put in an attorney confidentiality clause for her attorney and her attorney said he would never sign it. She still hadn’t signed and he begged her to sign, because if not it would jeopardize him, the company and his family and she would surely become the subject of national news headlines and be ruined. She signed on January 28, 2022.
On February 4, 2022, she claimed she was wired $1 million and on February 28, 2022, she was wired $10,000 for her attorney fees. On February 9 and 10 she gave notice to both Laurinaitis and human resources that she was leaving the company.
She claimed after the NDA was signed, McMahon, wearing only a white robe, met Grant at his condo to review outstanding business items and she claimed as he was leaving, he grabbed her and asked her to do one last thing and get on her knees. She claimed her forced her face into his crotch. She said that was the last time she saw McMahon.
On March 2, 2022, McMahon called her and said it would probably be the last time she would hear from him and if she needed anything, to contact one of two corporate officers. She said in the approximately 30 minute phone call, McMahon said he’d been unable to focus on the upcoming WrestleMania and how his personal life had blown up over the past few weeks. She claimed they both agreed to be in contact after WrestleMania and told Grant to continue having sexual relations with other men, including a WWE superstar, in the meantime.
On March 4, 2022, she said the WWE superstar messaged her that he was in New York and she texted him explicit photos. On March 27, 2022, the wrestler reached out to Grant again.
On March 30, 2022, Grant’s attorney received a call from McMahon’s attorney about an anonymous email about their relationship between McMahon, Laurinaitis and Grant that had reached the WWE Board of Directors. By June, the story broke in the Wall Street Journal, and later stories broke regarding multiple NDA’s with various women associated with WWE over decades.
Grant never received her second scheduled payment of $500,000 that was due in February 2023. She also claimed McMahon refused to cover her medical care and her tax liability from the $1 million payment as she claimed he told her he would. She claimed McMahon paid for her medical care through April 15, 2022, and then stopped.
She claimed that regarding gifts McMahon gave her between 2019 and 2022, she believed some were purchased by McMahon and expensed to the company.
These included gift cards, $20,000 for surgery, a diamond necklace, clothes, a fur hat, sunglasses, and large bouquets of flowers about every other week in 2020 and 2021, a 2022 BMW 430 XI, and gifts from Saudi Arabia.
The lawsuit claimed WWE knew of McMahon’s conduct and did nothing to stop it, and said it was self-evident from numerous executive level and board members who knew of his involvement with Grant as well as knew of his prior instances involving sexual misconduct.
The lawsuit noted that with his history with women, rumors about the relationship, the widespread sharing of her photos to those inside the company, WWE clearly knew of his misconduct involving Grant and/or recklessly disregarded the facts made available to them.
She claimed her name being publicly released, through no fault of her own, impacted future employment prospects and has led to further trauma and humiliation.
Grant later got an $80,000 a year job managing her building and was terminated on January 27, 2023, due to her trauma and inability to leave her home. She claimed insomnia, rashes, weight loss, flashbacks from her exploitation, nightmares, panic attacks and depression, that she sometimes went days without brushing her teeth, taking a shower or washing her clothes and some days never leaves her bed.
She is wanting the NDA to be annulled, claiming it was signed under duress and even if not, McMahon breached the payment schedule by not paying her in 2023. She claimed the agreement was one-sided because McMahon, not the WWE, was responsible for the payments, the WWE’s only obligation in the NDA was that they could not sue her and that they would write a favorable letter of recommendation to future employers upon request. But she said the person writing the letter at this point would have to be Laurinaitis, who has since been fired and is now disgraced, and she claimed Laurinaitis had both raped and sexually assaulted her.
The suit claims WWE allowed and tolerated sexual assault and humiliation, fostered a culture in which these acts were tolerated, and retained McMahon and Laurinaitis with actual and constructive knowledge of their propensity to entice, recruit, force and/or coerce women into sexual acts based on the promise of hire, job security and advancement.
She claimed the WWE leaked information that led to the public disclosure of her name in a report and cited a source in WWE with direct knowledge of the situation. She said she was told and believed it was an overt intimidation tactic.
On this one, with some knowledge of the situation, it was not a secret at all within the company as to her name after the first story broke in the Wall Street Journal that led to the investigation by the board.
So many knew and I don’t believe at all it was a company leak, just a situation where it became common knowledge. Most people who knew never printed the name for obvious reasons, but it still got out.
Grant noted the investigation and called it a sham. She noted that in November 2022, the investigation concluded. She said nobody bothered to interview her or request any documentation even though she had told them she would cooperate with the investigation. STING 64 fucked around with this message at 02:49 on Jan 27, 2024
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Jan 27, 2024 02:41
