Just when you thought the WWE drama couldn’t get any juicier, it looks like Vince McMahon’s troubles are spilling over to include WWE and its former Head of Talent Relations, John Laurinaitis. Days after ex-WWE employee Janel Grant filed a bombshell 67-page lawsuit alleging McMahon’s sexual abuse and exploitation, the feds are stepping into the ring. According to Deadline, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has expanded its investigation to rope in WWE and Laurinaitis, making this saga even more explosive.
“In a sealed filing today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York presented material to the federal court of a probe they have opened into the disgraced McMahon, World Wrestling Entertainment and the WWE’s ex-head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis,” Deadline revealed. This marks the first time any report has suggested that Laurinaitis or WWE are under federal scrutiny.
Grant’s lawsuit paints a dark picture, accusing Laurinaitis of being one of the men McMahon allegedly enlisted for her to have sex with, sometimes with McMahon’s direct involvement. She also claimed she was forced to create “explicit content” for Laurinaitis. The charges against him include intentional or negligent infliction of emotional distress, civil battery, and violation of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000.
This federal investigation news arrives hot on the heels of the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York filing a notice of appearance in Grant’s case. With this, the lawsuit proceedings have hit pause, aligning with the non-public investigation that Grant and her attorney are cooperating with.