Sexual abuse lawsuit: WWE icon Vince McMahon resigns
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Stamford/US: After facing a serious sexual abuse lawsuit, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) icon Vince McMahon resigned from WWE's parent company. A former employee filed the lawsuit accusing him and another former executive of sexual abuses, including offering her to a star wrestler for sex, the Associated Press reported.
McMahon, the long time chairman and former chief excecutive of the WWE, stepped down from the board of directors at WWE's parent company, TKO Group, according to a statement released late Friday. He continued to deny wrongdoing following the lawsuit filed by Janel Grant, who worked in the company's legal and talent departments.
The suit includes allegations that McMahon, now 78, forced Grant into a sexual relationship in order for her to get and keep a job and passed around pornographic pictures and videos of her to other men, including other WWE employees. Grant named McMahon, John Laurinatis (the former excecutive) and the WWE company as defendants.
"I stand by my prior statement that Ms. Grant's lawsuit is replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and is a vindictive distortion of the truth," he said in the statement. "I intend to vigorously defend myself against these baseless accusations and look forward to clearing my name."
McMahon stepped down as WWE's CEO in 2022 amid an investigation into allegations that match those in the lawsuit, which was filed in US District Court in Connecticut, where WWE is based. The AP typically does not name accusers in sexual assault cases, but Grant's representatives said she wished to go public, AP reported.