WWE's Vince McMahon resigns from TKO after being accused of sex trafficking in lawsuit
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The following article contains discussion of sexual misconduct allegations.
WWE's Vince McMahon has resigned from TKO after he was accused of sex trafficking by a former employee in a lawsuit filed in the US.
McMahon, who previously served as the executive chairman of WWE's parent company TKO Group, has been accused in a lawsuit of trafficking a former staffer to unnamed talent in order to secure business deals for the WWE. The lawsuit includes an accusation of sexual assault as well.
In a statement announcing his resignation, McMahon said: "I stand by my prior statement that [my accuser]'s lawsuit is replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and is a vindictive distortion of the truth. I intend to vigorously defend myself against these baseless accusations, and look forward to clearing my name.
"However, out of respect for the WWE Universe, the extraordinary TKO business and its board members and shareholders, partners and constituents, and all of the employees and Superstars who helped make WWE into the global leader it is today, I have decided to resign from my executive chairmanship and the TKO board of directors, effective immediately."
The Wall Street Journal reports the former WWE employee, who we are not naming due to privacy concerns, has alleged McMahon and former head of talent relations John Laurinaitis violated the terms of the US Trafficking Victims Prevention Act, in addition to committing years of emotional abuse and civil battery that the accuser alleges occurred during her employment with WWE.
In their court filing, the accuser's attorneys have provided text messages purportedly from McMahon containing threatening and sexually demeaning language.
She has also accused McMahon and others of committing acts of sexual violence against her in a locked office at the WWE’s headquarters in Stamford in 2021.
This former WWE staffer previously signed a multimillion-dollar settlement where she would consent to a non-disclosure agreement in exchange for payments.
However, lawyers for this ex-WWE staffer allege in their lawsuit that McMahon stopped making those payments after an initial $1 million last February, so she was now taking further legal action.
Attorneys for the accuser are now seeking monetary damages in addition to a judgment for the non-disclosure agreement to be made null and void.
A TKO spokesperson told Digital Spy: “Mr. McMahon does not control TKO nor does he oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE. While this matter pre-dates our TKO executive team’s tenure at the company, we take [the accuser]’s horrific allegations very seriously and are addressing this matter internally.”
McMahon briefly stepped down from his role as chairman and CEO of WWE in June 2022 while the company's Special Committee of the WWE board investigated allegations of misconduct.
This investigatory committee was designated to vet allegations that McMahon had made hush money payments to women who accused him of misconduct. Last March, McMahon agreed to pay back $17.4 million to WWE for costs tied to expenses used in this internal investigation.
At the time, the WWE said in a securities filing: "The Agreement also includes a release of Mr. McMahon by the Company regarding the recovery of the costs described above and a release of the Company by Mr. McMahon regarding the investigation and related matters described above."
McMahon was only away from WWE for a few months before returning early last year to shepherd the sale of the company to Endeavor Group Holdings. Endeavor subsequently organised WWE and the Ultimate Fighting Championship into a merged company called TKO.
His return to the company coincided with his daughter Stephanie McMahon stepping down from her role as chairwoman and co-CEO of WWE.
This week, WWE and Netflix announced a deal reported to be worth as much as $5 billion for WWE Monday Night Raw to air on the streaming service in 2025. Netflix will also become the home of WWE SmackDown, NXT and Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, and other programming for WWE in the UK and other countries outside the US.
This latest news comes days before the company is due to hold its annual PLE, The Royal Rumble, live from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida on Saturday (January 27).
If you've been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information from Rape Crisis England and Wales, who work towards the elimination of all forms of sexual violence and sexual misconduct, on their website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland’s helpline number is 08088 01 03 02.
Readers in the US are encouraged to contact RAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673.
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