Attorneys for Janel Grant are accusing the WWE of shielding Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis by not dissolving the non-disclosure agreements some employees are forced to sign.
A statement from the legal team reads: “Ann Callis, attorney for Janel Grant, sent a letter to attorneys for WWE President Nick Khan, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque, and Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, WWE’s parent company, calling on company leadership to waive WWE’s non-disclosure agreements to allow former and current employees, wrestlers and contractors to speak out about sexual misconduct, sexual assault, harassment, workplace aggression and the toxic culture at WWE. The letter includes releasing women who specifically signed NDAs with Vince McMcahon or John Laurinaitis during their tenure at WWE.”
Callis states that because of the NDAs many who want to come forward and share their stories of abuse and mistreatment but feel they cannot and are bound to remain silent or face the legal consequences.
“WWE cannot move on from its sordid past while its victims remain silenced. Survivors deserve an opportunity to share their experiences on their terms. Forced silence only deepens the wounds of sexual abuse. Survivors are revictimized every time they are muzzled and forced to live in fear of attack from a multi-billion-dollar business that can hire an army of lawyers to bury them in legal fees if they speak the truth. Even unenforceable NDAs, like the one our client was coerced to sign, have a chilling effect because individuals do not have the will or resources to fight them,” she also writes.
Callis is asking the WWE to void those NDAs.
“We urge WWE to quickly and proactively release its current and former employees and contractors from any obligations under any WWE-executed NDA that would prevent them from discussing sexual misconduct, abuse, or assault during their time at WWE without delay. WWE wants people to believe the company has changed—this is its chance to prove it.”
At press time there has been no response from the WWE.
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