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STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — Professional wrestling icon Vince McMahon is facing federal charges after a former employee accuses him and another former executive of gross sexual misconduct, including soliciting sex from star wrestlers. He resigned from WWE’s parent company on Friday, a day after filing the lawsuit.
McMahon has resigned as chairman of the board of WWE’s parent company, TKO Group Holdings, according to a statement released late Friday. He continued to deny his wrongdoing even after a lawsuit was filed by Janelle Grant, who worked in the company’s legal and human resources departments.
The lawsuit alleges that McMahon, now 78, coerced Grant into sexual relations in order to get and keep her job and distributed pornographic photos and videos of her to other men, including other WWE employees. Contains the allegation.
The Associated Press typically does not publish the names of accusers in sexual assault cases, but a representative for Ms. Grant said she would like to do so. Her attorney declined to comment Friday.
McMahon said in a statement that he is stepping down as a board member “out of respect” to WWE and TKO Group.
“I stand by my previous statement that Ms. Grant’s lawsuit is a lie, a farcical and salacious fabrication, and a persistent distortion of the truth,” he said in a statement. “I intend to vigorously defend myself against these baseless charges and look forward to clearing my name.”
McMahon resigned as CEO of WWE in 2022 amid an investigation into allegations consistent with the lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in the WWE’s home state of Connecticut.
McMahon has been the leader and most recognizable face of WWE for decades. When he bought the then World Wrestling Federation from his father in 1982, wrestling matches were held in small venues and broadcast on local cable channels. WWE matches are currently held at professional sports stadiums, and the organization has a significant number of fans overseas as well.
WWE merged with the company behind Ultimate Fighting Championship last April to form TKO Group Holdings, a $21.4 billion sports entertainment company, and Mr. McMahon served as chairman of the group’s board until Friday.
A representative for TKO Group referred media inquiries regarding Mr. McMahon’s resignation to his statement. Deadline first reported that he would resign.
“Mr. McMahon does not control TKO and does not oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE,” TKO Group said earlier this week. “While this matter predates the tenure of our TKO management team, we take Mr. Grant’s horrific allegations very seriously and are addressing this matter internally.”
Grant also names WWE and former professional wrestler John Laurinaitis, the company’s head of talent relations and general manager, as defendants in the suit. WWE and Laurinaitis did not respond to requests for comment Friday.
McMahon lived in the same building as Grant and offered to offer Grant a job with WWE after his parents died in 2019, according to the complaint.
She claims that he eventually revealed that one of the conditions of the job was a physical relationship with him, and later with Laurinaitis and others.
Over the next few years, Mr. McMahon lavished her with gifts, including a luxury car, the complaint says.
McMahon also alleges that in 2021, he offered one of his star wrestlers (who is not named in the lawsuit) sex with Grant as a bonus.
“WWE benefited financially from the commercial sex enterprise orchestrated by McMahon, including forcing wrestling talent, including WWE Superstars, to sign new contracts with WWE after McMahon presented Plaintiffs as sexual products.” ” the complaint states.
Grant is asking for unspecified monetary damages and for the court to void a $3 million non-disclosure agreement, of which she claims she only received $1 million.
“Ms. Grant hopes her lawsuit will prevent other women from being victimized,” her attorney, Ann Callis, said in a statement Thursday. “The organization is well aware of Mr. McMahon’s history of corrupt behavior, and the time has come to hold the organization’s leadership accountable for its misconduct.”
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