Board Members Knew of Allegations by September 2022
Court filings and depositions in a shareholder lawsuit against WWE confirm that the company’s Board of Directors possessed knowledge of allegations involving Vince McMahon and Janel Grant as early as September 2022. While the shareholder litigation has reached a settlement, the discovery phase has stripped away the veneer of the Board’s internal investigation, exposing exactly what directors knew and when they knew it.
McKenna Testimony Links Conduct to Sex Trafficking
Former WWE Board member Michelle McKenna, who joined the Board on September 15th, 2022 following McMahon’s initial retirement, provided a stark account of the internal climate. She testified that she was not informed of an affair when she joined the board. Once the allegations surfaced, however, she and her colleagues reached a consensus: McMahon could not be allowed back onto the Board.
Under questioning by attorneys, McKenna did not mince words. She testified that she viewed the conduct as sexual abuse. When provided with the legal definition, she indicated it aligned with her understanding of “sexual trafficking”.
Graphic Evidence Surfaces in Internal Reviews
Testimony from WWE Board member Jeffrey Speed added further detail to the internal inquiry. Speed testified that investigators uncovered graphic text messages sent by McMahon to Grant, as well as communications involving Brock Lesnar. While these texts were read aloud during Board meetings, Speed noted that the accompanying photographs were never presented to the members.
The Shift to Private Arbitration
These revelations emerged during the discovery phase of a shareholder lawsuit concerning the TKO merger, a case now headed for a pending settlement. However, the separate lawsuit filed by Janel Grant in January 2024 remains active.
In June, legal counsel for Grant, McMahon, and WWE filed a joint motion to move the proceedings into private arbitration. This shift effectively pulls the litigation out of the public court system.
Contradicting the Initial Defense
The timeline of the Board’s awareness stands in sharp contrast to the company’s early public posture. When the Wall Street Journal first reported on the $3 million settlement paid to Grant in 2022, attorney Jerry McDevitt claimed in a letter that the former paralegal had not made claims of harassment against McMahon. Recent testimony suggests that as the investigation progressed, the internal understanding of the allegations became increasingly severe.
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault, help is available. You can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to be connected with trained staff from a sexual assault service provider in your area.
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