Vince McMahon, already dealing with a bombshell sexual assault and trafficking lawsuit, can be being accused of covering up the alleged rape of one of his former female talents — who later died by suicide — as well as sexually harassing her.
John Laurinitis, the previous head of Expertise Relations and a co-defendant within the go well with introduced forth by former WWE worker Janel Grant, was additionally implicated, in response to VICE Information.
Laurinitis and “most upper-level management” in WWE have been conscious of the allegations — Massaro, in a sworn affidavit launched after her dying in 2019, stated she was injected with a paralytic drug and raped by a person who claimed to be a U.S. Military physician on a base in Kuwait, whereas the WWE was on tour there in 2006 — in response to Laurinitis’ lawyer, who objected to the time period “cover-up.”
WWE previously claimed that execs have been unaware of Massaro’s allegations.
“He told me not to let one bad experience ruin the good work they were doing,” Massaro stated of McMahon within the affidavit, per VICE Information.
The Naval Legal Intelligence Service opened up an investigation into the alleged rape in June 2019 however closed it just a few months later, VICE Information reported.
Massaro’s lawyer Konstantine Kryos has claimed Massaro’s WWE profession ended when she denied McMahon’s advances. Her ex-boyfriend, former WWE wrestler Paul London, has additionally said on the Cafe de Rene with Rene Dupree podcast that Massaro was a sufferer of McMahon’s sexual misconduct.
“And so my understanding from Ashley, and I think this was this is well known to anybody with even remote familiarity with the, you know, the ins and outs of the WWE,” Kryos stated on NewsNation’s Banfield Podcast final week. ”I believe I imagine the allegations have been that Mr. McMahon himself was generally seen kissing the Divas within the rooms and so forth and that when she rejected his advances, she met the destiny of many different wrestlers, which was that her profession was going to come back to an finish, and that’s primarily what occurred.”
McMahon has resigned from TKO, the WWE’s mum or dad firm. Each he and Laurinitis deny the allegations in Grant’s lawsuit.
“Any allegations that Mr. Laurinaitus helped to cover up an alleged rape allegation is an outright lie,” his lawyer Edward Brennan stated. “Johnny, like most upper-level management at some time became aware of the allegations and ensured all proper WWE protocols were followed, including privacy for the alleged victim. We object to the use of the term cover up as no such plan or plot ever took place to hide or assist in the alleged rape.”
