Janel Grant’s attorneys have amended their case against Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis complete with new evidence that McMahon “treated Ms. Grant as a commodity to sexually abuse and offer to other men.”
The new evidence includes:
· McMahon offered Ms. Grant to WWE Superstar Brock Lesnar for a sexual encounter during his formal negotiation of a new contract with WWE and McMahon ordered Ms. Grant to send Lesnar sexually explicit content of herself.
· McMahon sent a text message to Ms. Grant, where he fantasizes in graphic detail about watching as a group of men are “surrounding” her and leaving her physically “wrecked,” underscoring how he viewed her as a commodity to offer to others.
· A text message from McMahon to Ms. Grant where he makes clear that only McMahon has the power to “arrange” Ms. Grant’s sexual encounters.
· An occasion where McMahon video recorded Ms. Grant while nude for Laurinaitis, without Ms. Grant’s knowledge or consent.
· Details about the sham investigation WWE proclaimed to conduct in 2022 after it became public that McMahon signed NDAs with multiple women, in which “investigators” refused to interview Ms. Grant.
· The transcript of a voice message from McMahon to Ms. Grant, where he attempts to coerce her into signing an NDA “really f—–g fast” so he doesn’t get kicked out of his own “f—–g company.”
About Lesnar the amended suit states: “McMahon treated Ms. Grant as a commodity—offering her to other men. In March 2020, McMahon began sharing sexually explicit photographs and videos of Ms. Grant (including pornographic content he recorded on his cell phone) with other men both inside and outside the company, including with members of the television production “tech” team, executive(s), producer(s), and a world-famous athlete and former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Brock Lesnar, with whom WWE was actively trying to sign to a new contract (and ultimately did sign that contract).”
The suit states that McMahon set up an encounter between Lesnar and Grant at his condo.
“On July 21, 2021, McMahon flew and/or caused Lesnar to fly on a jet into a local airport and travel into Connecticut (across state lines) for what McMahon described to Ms. Grant as a “business dinner,” as well as a sexual encounter with Ms. Grant in McMahon’s condo. Upon information and belief, the dinner was to discuss Lesnar’s continued involvement with WWE. Prior to the “business dinner” with McMahon, WWE Lesnar made a brief visit to Ms. Grant’s building. However, Lesnar did not return to the building for a sexual encounter because he was too intoxicated and taken back to the plane.
Later that evening, after McMahon recounted the story about his dinner with Lesnar to Ms. Grant, he sought to salvage the night with a request that they “role play” a sexual encounter, in which McMahon acted as if he were Lesnar. McMahon was so physically rough with Ms. Grant during this encounter, that Ms. Grant begged McMahon to stop numerous times, including loud cries of “Help!” “I’m serious!” and “I’m scared!..McMahon’s assault caused Ms. Grant to break down weeping and curl into the fetal position with her arms pulled up to protect her face. McMahon alternated between slaps and shoves before admitting that “I’m really f—–g up with you right and left tonight, huh?” McMahon forbade Ms. Grant from leaving his condo that night unless she could verbally assure him that there wasn’t a problem and everything between them was okay. Notably, however, he made no effort to check on her well-being after she left his condo.”
The amendment states that McMahon tried to set up another encounter between the two and provides texts that are claimed to be between Lesnar and McMahon.
“That same month, Lesnar expressed to Ms. Grant his desire to “set a play date” and have a sexual encounter. McMahon and Lesnar organized an encounter in conjunction with Lesnar’s appearance at a show at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, with Lesnar even sending Ms. Grant the address for the hotel where he would be staying. However, a snowstorm changed Lesnar’s travel plans and Ms. Grant ultimately used the weather and COVID-19 as an excuse to back out,” states the filing.
McMahon is also accused of ‘conditioning’ Grant to create sexually explicit content.
“McMahon actively requested, directed, encouraged, insisted, and ultimately conditioned Ms. Grant to create and send sexually explicit content during, but not limited to, writers’ meetings, production meetings, while running live television broadcasts in “gorilla position,” and while on the corporate jet traveling both domestically and internationally. McMahon even knowingly solicited and received Ms. Grant’s sexually explicit content while being filmed for a global streamer. McMahon noticed when Ms. Grant did not comply with his directions and inquired or interrogated her about her creation of content,” states the suit.
The new evidence also details John Laurinaitis becoming involved in threesomes and liaisons guided and arranged by McMahon. The evidence includes texts by McMahon to Laurinaitis and Grant.
“On numerous occasions, Ms. Grant was directed to visit Laurinaitis at his hotel room before work to serve herself to him as his “breakfast.” McMahon supervised these encounters, on one occasion even viewing explicit photos from Laurinaitis while on the corporate jet with the expectation that Ms. Grant would perform accordingly the next morning,” states the filing.
To facilitate the meetings “WWE constructed a new custom corner office suite to Laurinaitis’ taste, sharing a wall with the Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy and Development, Paul Levesque (known as “Triple H”). Ms. Grant’s office had an internal door that connected directly into Laurinaitis’ office. Nick Khan and Brad Blum were involved in the planning of Laurinaitis’ custom suite—where Ms. Grant would ultimately be exploited.”
According to Grant during one such encounter in WWE headquarters she told McMahon and Laurinaitis to stop but “McMahon responded with “No means yes.” Ms. Grant again told them to stop.”
McMahon responded with: “Take it, bitch.”
The suit also describes Laurinaitis behaviour as her boss: “On multiple other occasions while Ms. Grant worked under Laurinaitis, including after McMahon’s promise that one-on-one encounters would end – —and even after his wife moved across the country to join Laurinaitis – —he would call Ms. Grant to his office, lock the door, unzip his pants, and instruct Ms. Grant to perform oral sex. Eventually, after these in-office encounters, a badge lock was installed on the outside of Ms. Grant’s door.”
Some time later, McMahon left a lengthy voice message trying to convince Grant to sign an NDA. A transcript of the call is now included in the suit.
Hi baby I’m still… I’m packing up cause I gotta get out of here and go to bed. I’m still at the office and I got a board meeting in the morning at 10 o’clock it’s like Jesus f—–g Christ. In any event, on the agreement stuff, we have to do it and here’s why – ummm because there’s a new twist in this f—–g thing – wow is this ever gunna end? – so there’s an audit committee. It’s a public company and if we don’t get this done by the 31st I’m f—-d because McDevitt is in charge of the legal (voice from conference room speaker nobody else on this call. Goodbye. It sounds like the board room). It’s the conference room I’m in. Goodbye. It’s the conference room.
Ummm so McDevitt is in charge of the f—–g audit of the books kind of like thing. He’s got to tell the audit committee there’s no lawsuits, there’s no pending this, there’s no that – kind of like thing – and he won’t do and can’t do it legally unless I get this thing signed. So we need to work on this really f—–g fast otherwise I’m double f—-d. I’ll be divorced aside from that; I’ll be f—–g ya know…; I don’t know what this is going to do in terms of ya know of… Shit if he if I don’t get it done, he’s got to go to the audit committee and say by the way here where we’re say yada, yada, yada Janel …so now the board knows my story, knows what’s going on and it’s like oh my God holy shit.
You know they kick people out of their own f—–g company.7 that’s not gunna happen here but um oh my god it’s like public shit and all that kind of stuff so.. I’m f—–g tired of this shit but in any event, uhh Sorry to be responding so late but um so we’ve got to get this f—–g thing done so quickly baby. I had no idea that McDevitt was… well,…not turn on me because that’s not really the case at all. It’s a legal deal, you know? And he can’t say to the audit committee “No I never told him any of this stuff” He wouldn’t know. But now he knows. And now he’s been involved in, you know, in writing some of this and all that kind of crap and… I gotta get this f—–g thing done or I’m double f—-d.
So let’s please you and I… I can’t do it first thing in the morning cause it’s 10 o’clock but as soon as we can. Let’s please get this thing done in some way somehow ok? I’m sorry baby we have to do it this way because I’d like to do it on a napkin too but now I can’t. Um so I’m kind of f—-d. But that’s ok. Well it’s not ok but let’s get this thing done please so we can go on about our lives. Ok baby I’ll talk to you in the morning. I’m sorry to take up so much of your time. Ok bye.
Ann Callis, attorney for Janel Grant had this to say about the amended suit: “Ms. Grant’s amended complaint reveals new details that further demonstrate the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis and pulls back the curtain on the dangerous workplace culture McMahon created at WWE. Ms. Grant looks forward to holding her abusers accountable in a court of law.”
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