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World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) boss Vince McMahon has resigned following allegations of sex trafficking by a former employee.
Janel Grant alleges that McMahon and another former executive, John Laurinaitis, sexually assaulted her and trafficked her to attract wrestling talent.
McMahon, 78, said in a statement that he had made the decision to step down as CEO of TKO, WWE’s parent company.
He has denied the accusations.
“I stand by my previous assertion that Ms. Grant’s lawsuit is filled with lies, made-up obscene cases that never occurred, and is a vindictive distortion of the truth,” McMahon said in a statement Friday.
He added: “Out of respect for the WWE Universe, the extraordinary business of TKO and its board members and shareholders, partners and constituents, and all the employees and superstars who helped make WWE the global leader it is today, I have decided to resign. to my CEO and the board of directors of TKO, effective immediately.
In a staff memo obtained by ESPN, WWE Chairman Nick Khan shared that “Vince McMahon has submitted his resignation from his positions as CEO of TKO and on the TKO Board of Directors.”
“He will no longer have any role in TKO Group or WWE.”
Grant, a former WWE employee, accused McMahon and Laurinaitis of trafficking her to other men “as a sexual pawn to attract world-famous wrestling talent.” The BBC was unable to contact Laurinaitis for comment.
Mrs. Grant was unemployed at the time she met Mr. McMahon and was dealing with her deceased father’s bankruptcy.
The lawsuit alleges that McMahon pressured her into a physical relationship, making promises of a job with WWE.
According to the legal case, Ms. Grant worked at WWE headquarters in Connecticut between 2019 and 2022.
She says she felt trapped “in an impossible situation… submitting to Mr. McMahon’s sexual demands or facing ruin.”
The lawsuit alleges that McMahon “expected and directed Ms. Grant to engage in sexual activity at WWE Headquarters, including during work hours.”
She also accuses both defendants of sexually assaulting her at WWE headquarters in Connecticut in June 2021.
In 2022, the WWE board of directors announced an investigation into an alleged $3 million (£2.5 million) settlement between McMahon and a former employee with whom he had a consensual affair.
The 78-year-old was replaced as acting CEO and president by his daughter. In January 2023, he returned as WWE President after the investigation was completed.
In Thursday’s legal filing, Ms. Grant called the WWE special committee’s investigation “a sham” and accused the company of trying to “sweep the matter under the rug.” She says the committee never contacted her or requested documents.
Grant’s attorney, Ann Callis, said in a statement to the media that her client hopes the lawsuit will “prevent other women from being victimized.”
McMahon has overseen WWE’s growth into a media giant whose weekly content is broadcast in more than 180 countries and 30 languages.