McMahon characterised the choice as being in one of the best curiosity of TKO Holdings and the WWE, whereas emphasizing that he plans to defend himself in opposition to the lawsuit’s incendiary claims of sexual abuse and trafficking.
Vince McMahan has resigned from his positions as government chairman and board member of TKO Group Holdings, the guardian firm of WWE, after a former worker accused him of intercourse trafficking and abuse.
In keeping with USA At the moment, McMahan introduced that he can be stepping down lower than a day after Janel Grant, a former administrative worker at World Wrestling Leisure, filed a lawsuit in opposition to him, the WWE, and the corporate’s former head of expertise relations, John Laurinaitis.
As LegalReader.com has reported earlier than, McMahon allegedly coerced Grant right into a “bodily relationship in return for long-promised employment at WWE.”
The connection, Grant says, grew more and more extra “wicked,” with McMahon circulating sexually express pictures and movies of her with different WWE executives and wrestlers.
Courtroom filings embody excerpts of textual content messages that McMahon purportedly despatched to Grant, through which he described his sexual fantasies and admitted to sharing tales about their relationship.
“I simply handed my cellphone round to a bunch of men on the tech crew,” McMahon allegedly wrote in a single message. “They had been screaming!”
Attorneys for Grant additionally counsel that McMahon’s actions typically crossed a line from harassment to intentional cruelty.
“McMahan additionally subjected Grant to acts of utmost cruelty and degradation that induced Grant to disassociate and/or grow to be numb to actuality with a purpose to survive the horrific encounters,” the criticism alleges.
Earlier this week, McMahon introduced his resignation from TKO Holdings, whereas emphasizing that he plans to defend himself in court docket.
“I intend to vigorously defend myself in opposition to these baseless accusations, and I sit up for clearing my title,” McMahon mentioned in a press release reprinted by USA At the moment. “Nonetheless, out of respect for the WWE Universe, the extraordinary TKO enterprise and its board members and shareholders, companions and constituents, and the entire staff and Superstars who heled make WWE into the worldwide chief it’s right this moment, I’ve determined to resign from my government chairmanship and the TKO board of administrators, successfully instantly.”
Grant’s lawsuit notes that, in January 2022, McMahon’s spouse—Linda McMahon—discovered about her husband’s extramarital relationship.
McMahon allegedly then pressured Grant into leaving the WWE, however “wished to make sure that [she] would stay silent about his private misconduct with a purpose to protect his controlling curiosity in WWE.” Each events—Grant, and McMahon—signed a nondisclosure settlement, with McMahon agreeing to pay $3 million in alternate for Grant’s silence.
Now, Grant says that McMahon by no means upheld his finish of the cut price, having paid solely one-third of the entire quantity.
The lawsuit asks that the court docket discover the nondisclosure settlement invalid underneath federal and state regulation, due, partly, to McMahon having allegedly engaged in intercourse trafficking.
McMahon has characterised these costs, amongst others, as blatant untruths.
“I stand by my prior assertion that Ms. Grant’s lawsuit is replete with legal guidelines, obscene made-up situations that by no means occurred, and is a vindictive distortion of the reality,” he mentioned.
Sources
WWE’s Vince McMahon resigns after being accused of intercourse trafficking, assault in lawsuit
