Vince McMahon resigns from TKO; faces sex assault, trafficking lawsuit

Jan. 27 (UPI) -- TKO Holdings Group board member and and World Wrestling Entertainment founder Vince McMahon has resigned after former employee Janel Grant accused him of sexual assault, trafficking and abuse.

McMahon confirmed his resignation from the TKO board of directors and his role as executive chairman effective immediately in a statement issued to media outlets on Friday, a day after Grant sued McMahon and others in the U.S. District Court for Connecticut.

The WWE and UFC united last year to create the TKO Holdings Group to promote professional wrestling and mixed martial arts events.

"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. "I intend to defend myself against these baseless accusations and look forward to clearing my name."

In her court filing, Grant accuses McMahon of emotional and physical abuse, sexual assault and trafficking while she was a WWE employee. Grant also names WWE executive John Laurinaitis and the WWE as defendants in the civil filing.

Grant alleges McMahon sought sexual favors from her in exchange for hiring her to work for the WWE. She says McMahon offered her a position at the WWE knowing she needed a job and pressured her to engage in a physical relationship with him, which she claims she eventually did.

Grant also claims McMahon expected their physical relationship to continue while she was employed by the WWE and pressured her to have sexual relations with other WWE officials, including Laurinaitis.

In her complaint, Grant says she experienced "extreme cruelty" while being sexually assaulted and forcibly touched by McMahon and Laurinaitis.

Grant says she left her job with the WWE after McMahon's wife learned of the relationship in January 2022 and signed a non-disclosure agreement for which she was to be paid, but McMahon stopped making the payments owed to her.

After she was fired, Grant says McMahon tried to traffic her to a WWE wrestler who was visiting New York City in March 2022.

Grant claimed the matter left her physically and mentally "crippled" due to post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal thoughts, which rendered her incapable of leaving her home for several weeks.