In a recent court filing, Vince McMahon, the disgraced WWE mogul, vehemently denied the explosive accusations made by his former employee, Janel Grant. Grant had accused McMahon of sex trafficking and sexual harassment, among other disturbing allegations. McMahon fired back, claiming that Grant willingly engaged in a three-year sexual relationship with him and fabricated many aspects of her life story.
According to the court filing, McMahon alleged that Grant would frequently visit his penthouse apartment in Stamford, Connecticut, even in the early hours of the morning, before returning to her own condominium where she lived with her fiancé, attorney Brian Goncalves. McMahon and Goncalves resided in the same luxury condo building, Park Tower Stamford. Grant’s lawyer, Ann Callis, stated that Grant and Goncalves had called off their engagement, and Goncalves allowed Grant to stay in the apartment as she rebuilt her life.
McMahon’s filing also accused Grant of lying about her caregiving responsibilities for her dying parents and her financial struggles. The filing alleged that Grant’s father lived in a senior home and was not cared for by his daughter, while her mother had passed away two years before Grant met McMahon. Callis countered these claims, stating that Grant had cared for her father around the clock until his final days and had also cared for her blind, wheelchair-bound mother.
Grant had filed a lawsuit seeking to invalidate a nondisclosure agreement she signed, which included her explosive allegations against McMahon. She had received $1 million of a $3 million payout but McMahon withheld the next installment after she filed the lawsuit. Grant’s lawsuit also implicated John Laurinaitis, WWE’s former head of talent relations and general manager. Laurinaitis denied all allegations made against him in the complaint.
In a bizarre twist, McMahon’s attorneys produced a love letter, allegedly written by Grant, which expressed affection for McMahon. Grant’s lawyer claimed that her client was coerced into writing the letter. McMahon’s attorney denied the coercion allegations, stating that Grant wrote the letter of her own accord.
The court filing requested a stay on Grant’s lawsuit to allow the parties to settle any disputes through binding arbitration. McMahon resigned as executive chairman of WWE-parent TKO Group Holdings following Grant’s lawsuit. The allegations against McMahon have also prompted a federal probe into allegations of sexual assault and trafficking.
