Vince McMahon, WWE Face May 14th Deadline to Respond to Sex Trafficking Lawsuit
McMahon, WWE and John Laurinaitis were issued "waivers of service" on March 15th.
Vince McMahon's WWE days are in the rear view, but his personal future remains on the road ahead. This past January, former WWE employee Janel Grant filed a lawsuit against McMahon, former Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis, and WWE as a whole. The lawsuit alleged that McMahon sexually abused and sex trafficked Grant to fellow WWE employees, Laurinaitis being among them. McMahon would resign from his position as Executive Chairman of TKO, WWE's parent company, roughly 48 hours after the suit was filed. WWE has swiftly moved on from McMahon, removing his name and image from programming and continuously distancing itself from the former boss when questioned about his status in interviews and press conferences.
Vince McMahon, WWE Face Deadline in Janel Grant Lawsuit
WWE will need to confront the Janel Grant lawsuit within the next month.
As listed in the United States District Court of Connecticut, "waivers of service" were issued to Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and World Wrestling Entertainment on March 15th. The waivers necessitate that the parties have 60 days to respond to the summoning, which puts the deadline at May 14th.
McMahon and WWE enter this lawsuit as separate parties, evident by their counseling. McMahon has enlisted the services of Jessica T. Rosenberg from the Kasowitz Benson Torres firm while WWE will be represented by Daniel Toal from the Paul Weiss firm. Janel Grant, the former WWE employee who filed the lawsuit, is represented by Ann Callis.
Grant filed the lawsuit on January 25th, alleging that McMahon sex trafficked, emotionally abused, and sexually assaulted her during her time with the company. Former WWE executive John Laurinaitis was named as one of the parties that McMahon sex trafficked Grant to.
"We don't know his motives, his plans or his timeline," TKO President Mark Shapiro said of McMahon. "He doesn't work for the company, doesn't come into the office and he's not coming back to the company. And that's where we sit."
"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," McMahon said in his initial statement. "I intend to vigorously defend myself against these baseless accusations, and look forward to clearing my name."
Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for continuing coverage on Grant's lawsuit and McMahon's future.
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