WWE boss Vince McMahon sued over alleged sexual assault, trafficking

WWE boss Vince McMahon was accused in a graphic lawsuit Thursday of sexual assault, trafficking, and physical and emotional abuse of a woman who previously worked at the pro wrestling giant.

The suit by Janel Grant — which alleges McMahon directed her to have sex with a WWE “superstar” and other men — seeks to void a nondisclosure agreement Grant said she reached with McMahon in early 2022.

Grant’s suit in U.S. District Court in Connecticut says the billionaire McMahon agreed to pay her $3 million as part of that deal, but ended up only paying her $1 million in exchange for her silence about his conduct.

In addition to McMahon, 78, the complaint names as defendants WWE and John Laurinaitis, the company’s former head of talent relations and general manager.

The complaint comes six months after federal law enforcement agents executed a search warrant on McMahon and served him with a grand jury subpoena as part of an investigation into McMahon’s payment of millions of dollars to multiple women, among them Grant, after allegations of sexual misconduct.

McMahon, who resigned from WWE leadership posts in mid-2022 amid an internal company investigation, only to return as its leader in early 2023, last March paid WWE $17.4 million to cover costs of a probe of those payouts by a law firm retained by the company.

McMahon is executive chairman of the board of TKO Group Holdings, which was formed last year by a merger of his wrestling company and the mix-martial arts company UFC. He owns a significant number of shares in TKO Group.

Grant’s lawyer, Ann Callis, in a statement, said, “Today’s complaint seeks to hold accountable two WWE executives who sexually assaulted and trafficked Plaintiff Janel Grant, as well as the…