Janel Grant, the former WWE employee who filed a lawsuit alleging sexual assault and trafficking against Vince McMahon, publicly detailed the profound impact of a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) on her mental health and life. Speaking at a Capitol news briefing organized by the Connecticut Alliance to Finish Sexual Violence on Thursday, Grant described the emotional fallout following her identification in a Wall Street Journal report in June 2022, and the broader implications of NDAs in workplace misconduct cases. The case, which first surfaced in January 2024, continues to draw scrutiny to practices within the professional wrestling industry and the leverage of NDAs to silence allegations.
Grant’s testimony centered on the isolating and damaging effects of the NDA she signed with McMahon. She recounted how the publication of the initial Wall Street Journal article, outlining the allegations, fundamentally altered her life. “On June 15th of 2022, my life was rewritten into someone else’s storyline. And I was globally outed in the Wall Street Journal,” she stated. The experience, she explained, led to a severe strain on her mental well-being, leaving her feeling profoundly alone.
The Impact of Silence
Grant argued that NDAs, while intended to protect privacy, can inadvertently shield harmful behavior and prevent patterns of misconduct from being identified and addressed. “Workplace safety depends on transparency because when employees cannot speak, patterns can’t be seen. When patterns can’t be seen, they can’t be stopped. When they can’t be stopped, harm spreads,” she asserted. She emphasized that the use of NDAs to conceal misconduct doesn’t eliminate the harm, but rather shifts it to future potential victims. “When an NDA is used to conceal dangerous behavior, it simply relocates the harm to the next employee, the next office, the next victim.”
The lawsuit filed by Grant alleges both sexual assault and sex trafficking while she was employed as a paralegal for WWE. Sports Illustrated reported on Grant’s first public comments, highlighting her description of being “dragged in” by the NDA into a federal investigation and subsequent legal consequences.
WWE’s Response and SEC Involvement
Grant also addressed a reported attempt by WWE to manage the public narrative following the initial Wall Street Journal report. She stated that WWE representatives approached her with a request to issue a joint statement characterizing her relationship with McMahon as consensual. Grant declined this request. However, a subsequent article in the Wall Street Journal, published the following month, quoted a WWE spokesperson describing the relationship as consensual, a characterization Grant claims was made without her knowledge or consent. “So someone, a group maybe, behind my back, without my knowledge, without my input, made that decision for me, it’s consensual, we say so,” she recounted.
According to Grant, she participated in WWE’s internal investigation, but it concluded without her being interviewed. She further revealed that she received whistleblower status from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) during a federal criminal investigation related to the allegations. “In March of 2023, I got two things from the SEC. I got a subpoena, and I got whistleblower status,” she said. She noted the timing coincided with the announcement of the merger between Endeavor and WWE, a deal announced by McMahon and Ari Emanuel on CNBC. The Times of India reported on the ongoing developments in the case, including the SEC’s involvement.
Echoes in WWE Storylines
Grant also pointed to parallels between a storyline that unfolded on WWE’s Raw program in the summer of 2024 and her own experiences. While she did not specify the exact storyline, she noted that reporters and viewers observed similarities between the on-screen narrative and her situation. This observation, she suggested, underscored the pervasive nature of the issues she was raising.
Acknowledging the personal cost of pursuing legal action, Grant stated, “I knew what I would be about to throw my life into, but I had been dragged in by this NDA into a federal investigation, the SEC, all the consequences, all the things that have happened that have made my life so slight and isolated, I didn’t start that. It’s like it found me.”
Looking Ahead: Arbitration and TKO Leadership
As of February 6, 2026, a court filing indicated that Grant, McMahon, and WWE have agreed to an arbitration hearing, scheduled for June, though specific dates were excluded, according to ITRWrestling.com. Grant concluded her remarks with a direct message to the leadership of TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of WWE, urging them to engage in conversation and reconsider their approach. “To the board of TKO, if you didn’t know this part of your origin story, now you know. I hope you will have conversations with us. I will hope you have conversations amongst yourselves, and I hope that you don’t rely on vintage instincts with new insight.” She emphasized that TKO’s actions will directly impact her ability to move forward and find healing.
The arbitration hearing represents a significant step in resolving the legal dispute, and the outcome could have far-reaching implications for the use of NDAs in workplace misconduct cases within the entertainment industry and beyond. The case continues to be closely watched by legal experts and advocates for workplace transparency.
What are your thoughts on the use of NDAs in cases of workplace misconduct? Share your opinions in the comments below.
