A federal investigation has been launched on Vince McMahon.
January 25th saw the latest allegations against McMahon made public. First reported by The Wall Street Journal, the deeply disturbing lawsuit accused Vince McMahon of sex trafficking and sexually assaulting former WWE employee Janel Grant. Along with McMahon, former Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis and multiple top-level executives who are unnamed are also a part of the lawsuit.
Grant alleges that McMahon agreed to pay $3 million to not publicly speak about their relationship that ran from 2019 to 2022 but only made the initial $1 million payment, nullifying the agreement.
In a follow-up report by The Wall Street Journal, it is stated that federal authorities are investigating the accusations directed at McMahon and that prosecutors in New York have been in contact with women who have also accused McMahon of sexual misconduct. Back in 2022 when the payments were first reported, Vince McMahon allegedly paid $12 million in hush money to 4 women.
Grant’s attorney has stated in a media interview that her office has been overwhelmed with people wanting to speak out about the culture of corruption in the sports entertainment company.
Vince McMahon’s team would release the first statement the same day as the lawsuit became public, denying all charges and vowing to defend McMahon’s name at all costs. The next day, major sponsor Slim Jim announced that they would be pausing their partnership with the company in light of the allegations. This pressure would lead to McMahon ultimately resigning from the company but would once again deny all charges.
John Laurinaitis Denies All Association With Vince McMahon
Although parent company TKO Holdings and McMahon would each issue multiple statements in the days that followed the allegations being made public, John Laurinaitis’ team would remain silent until February 1st. Making a statement on behalf of his attorney, John Laurinaitis would state that he was a also victim of Vince McMahon and denied all accusations.