A fresh 40-page sworn affidavit filed this week in federal court in Connecticut is turning up the heat on WWE and some of its biggest names. The document, submitted by former WWE employee Janel Grant as part of her ongoing 2024 lawsuit, expands on her claims that Vince McMahon sexually abused and trafficked her and alleges that other high-level company figures were pulled into the orbit of those encounters. The filing also says a top wrestler was contacted about sexual meetings and that a senior executive has reached a settlement and agreed to cooperate with Grant’s legal team, adding new fuel to a case that has already rattled WWE.
According to ESPN, the affidavit describes what Grant says was a pattern of emotional, physical and sexual abuse by McMahon and former head of talent relations John Laurinaitis. It also refers to Brock Lesnar and recounts that WWE president Nick Khan allegedly offered to help “re-home” Grant at another employer as concerns about potential fallout began to rise. The filing was entered in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut and is meant to supplement Grant’s original complaint.
“I felt used, leveraged, humiliated, shamed, dehumanized, intimidated, and exploited for the business and the sexual gratification of these men,” Grant wrote in the affidavit, as quoted by ESPN. She also describes severe psychological harm and says that the pressure surrounding her exit from WWE in early 2022 left her contemplating suicide, according to the filing.
Allegations About Brock Lesnar
The affidavit also goes into new detail about Grant’s alleged interactions with Lesnar. POST Wrestling reports that Grant said Lesnar contacted her in 2021 using the name “Polish Joe,” asked her for nude photos and pushed for an in-person meeting that would have required her to travel. Grant said she understood that she could be “expected to perform sexually” for Lesnar and to travel to other states for such encounters, according to the affidavit.
Laurinaitis, who previously oversaw talent relations and is named in the case, has reached a confidential settlement and is now cooperating with Grant’s lawyers, as reported by AP News. Court records on Justia show that the federal lawsuit was originally filed in January 2024 and that the parties have been fighting over whether parts of the dispute belong in open court or in private arbitration.
Legal Snapshot
Grant’s complaint accuses McMahon of sexual battery and sex trafficking and asks the court to void a nondisclosure agreement worth roughly 3 million dollars that she says she was pressured to sign. Those details have surfaced in earlier reporting and in court documents. The case has already sparked a tug-of-war over discovery and arbitrability as Grant’s attorneys try to keep the claims in federal court instead of having them pushed into confidential arbitration, as reflected in the filings.
What To Watch Next
The newly filed affidavit appears designed to strengthen Grant’s hand in the ongoing battle over whether her allegations will play out in a public courtroom or behind closed doors in arbitration. For any immediate responses from WWE, McMahon or the other figures named in the case, Daily Voice and the federal court docket are likely to be the first places where new developments surface.
McMahon has consistently denied the allegations, and WWE did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the latest filing. The lawsuit remains active in U.S. District Court in Connecticut, and the next moves on the docket will determine whether this affidavit nudges the case further into public view or keeps the fight centered on procedural battles over where the claims will be heard.
