Former WWE manager Vince McMahon refuted allegations of sexual abuse and sex trafficking against him in a court filing Tuesday, calling them “completely fictional.”
Mr. McMahon’s response was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.Janelle Grant filed a lawsuit In January, she filed a lawsuit against McMahon and former WWE executive John Laurinaitis, claiming that McMahon lured her to the company with promises of a bright career, but that he and McMahon were “friends” from 2019 to 2022. She claimed that she was sexually exploited by people she called.
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Vince McMahon attends an XFL game at Giants Stadium. (Andrew Savulich/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
The billionaire denied the allegations when he resigned as executive chairman of TKO Group Holdings. He further hinted at that in his response Tuesday.
“Plaintiff’s outrageous claims of sexual abuse and coercion are clearly pure fiction for publicity purposes and are completely contradicted by Plaintiff’s own contemporaneous statements,” McMahon’s filing states. is stated. “Contrary to Plaintiff’s false assertions, Plaintiff and Defendant (collectively, the “Parties”) had a consensual relationship during which Defendant forced Plaintiff to do anything or abused her in any way. That never happened.
“In fact, in a love letter written by the plaintiff to the defendant just before the parties ended their relationship, the plaintiff said of the defendant:[m]You are my best friend, my love, and my everything,” and praised him for being “such an amazing, kind, vulnerable, big-hearted soul.” The plaintiff, a then 42-year-old woman who listed on her resume as having a law degree from Pace University, filed a lawsuit several months after all of the incidents in the complaint regarding alleged abuse, coercion, and mistreatment occurred. I can’t believe he wrote these words. “Sex trafficking” took place. ”
McMahon’s filing also claimed that Grant visited his mansion in Connecticut “all the time” at night, where he lived with his “long-time fiancée” Brian Gonsalves. Mr Grant’s lawyer Anne Callis said: new york post Gonsalves said he allowed Grant to stay with him even after his parents died.
Vince McMahon at WrestleMania XX. (Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
Former WWE star claims executives asked male wrestlers to do ‘sexual things’
Grant’s original lawsuit revealed that she joined WWE in June 2019, months after the death of her parents. Ms Grant said she was vulnerable at the beginning of her relationship with Mr McMahon.
“Those statements are completely false,” McMahon’s filing asserted. “Pursuant to the foreclosure action against Plaintiff and her parents, Plaintiff’s father passed away on April 18, 2017, two years before Plaintiff met Defendant, his marital status is recorded as ‘widowed,’ and Plaintiff’s mother It was confirmed that he had died first.
“Court records further state that, contrary to her claims of “24-hour care,” Plaintiff’s father was living in a senior care facility in Stamford, Conn., prior to his death, not with her, and that the Grants’ neighbors It shows that he brought the plaintiff’s mother with him, had dinner with her, and “helped her around the house.”
Mr. Callis responded to Mr. McMahon’s submission with a statement. post wrestling.
“Vince McMahon has never known a storyline that hasn’t been twisted to fit his shameful narrative,” Callis said. “Her father spent his final days in a home hospice, where Janelle continued to care for him 24 hours a day. Until her death, she cared for her mother, who was blind and in a wheelchair. Her parents’ attitude is a whole new level of disgust.
Then-WWE owner Vince McMahon during WrestleMania at AT&T Stadium on April 3, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Joe Campoale-USA TODAY Sports)
“She wasn’t dating at the time. Her ex-boyfriend allowed her to stay in his apartment while she started rebuilding her life and taking care of her parents. She didn’t have a job and , I had no other financial support to fall back on.”
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Laurinaitis’ attorney, who was named in Grant’s original lawsuit, also denied the allegations against the former wrestler to the New York Post.
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