Further intensifying her legal battle against Vince McMahon, Janel Grant is asking the WWE to lift certain nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) either imposed or agreed upon by former and current employees of the company. This move could open the doors for more people to file allegations against the former chairman of the WWE and other employees of the company.
Grant's lawyer filed the request late Monday, Oct. 7, with WWE, McMahon, and former executive John Laurinaitis asking not to enforce those agreements. It is to allow the possible witnesses or victims to speak freely of their experiences without fearing lawsuits about it.
Sexual Abuse and Misconduct Charges
In January, Grant filed a lawsuit against the WWE, McMahon, and Laurinaitis, alleging repeated sexual assault, harassment, and emotional abuse during her time working in WWE's legal and talent departments from 2019 to 2022. The lawsuit contains graphic accusations of McMahon forcing Grant into a sexual relationship to secure her job and advising her to engage in relations with others, including Laurinaitis, Inside the Ropes finds.
McMahon has denied the charges publicly. Laurinaitis also denied everything via his lawyer, stating he was a victim of the case. With denials rising, the industry's resonant voices of accusations continue to resound.
NDAs Ruckus Ended
The lawsuit also seeks to have $3 million in a separate non-disclosure agreement she filed with the court sealed, as she claimed McMahon didn't pay his settlement in full. She further accused McMahon of using these agreements to silence women out of fear of him being held accountable.
This is one part of the pattern where companies are being called out in large scandals, such as against Harvey Weinstein and Matt Lauer. In those cases, companies have lifted NDAs so victims of sexual misconduct can speak candidly about their experiences-many believe that's an essential step in holding powerful people accountable.
"If WWE and its parent company Endeavor are serious about parting ways with Vince McMahon and the toxic workplace culture he created, their executives should have no problem with releasing former WWE employees from their NDAs. This is the first step to rehabilitating a company that covered up decades of sexual assault and human trafficking," Grant's attorney Ann Callis told The Associated Press.
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Settlements and Allegations Against McMahon
Of course, Grant's case was not in itself unique. Sources made public in July 2022 reported that McMahon signed nondisclosure agreements with four other women connected to WWE; they were all prevented from revealing their relationship with him.
In addition, McMahon settled a lawsuit brought by a former wrestling referee in December 2022 after agreeing to pay millions to avoid putting this rape case brought against him in 1986 before a jury.
The lawyer of McMahon continues to deny these allegations and explains that the settlement was purely made to avoid the huge cost of litigation.
Spelling a Disaster to WWE's Accountability
Lifting the gag order on these plaintiffs and allowing them to share their stories freely may open the floodgates to the airing of more accusations against McMahon and other senior officials in the organization.
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