The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Vince McMahon, Longtime WWE chairman, and CEO paid four women a total of more than $12 million over a 16-year period to bury “allegations of sexual misconduct and infidelity.”
Vince McMahon paid $12 million to four women over the past 16 years to stop allegations of sexual misconduct and infidelity becoming public, per @WSJ pic.twitter.com/4ZWKdR3cY6
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 8, 2022
All four women worked for McMahon at WWE and signed non-disclosure agreements that prohibited them from suing McMahon or speaking publicly about their experiences with him.
The Wall Street Journal, citing documents and people “familiar with the deals,” reported that McMahon, 76, paid one former wrestler $7.5 million the largest sum after she claimed he coerced her into performing sexual acts. The wrestler claimed McMahon demoted her and then declined to renew her contract when she resisted further sexual encounters, according to the newspaper.
After the Journal had earlier reported that the board was looking into a hidden $3 million payment to pay to an employee with whom he allegedly had an affair, McMahon resigned as the company’s chairman and chief executive officer on June 17. His daughter Stephanie McMahon was chosen as acting CEO.
“I have pledged my complete cooperation to the investigation by the Special Committee, and I will do everything possible to support the investigation. I have also pledged to accept the findings and outcome of the investigation, whatever they are,” McMahon said in the joint release on behalf of WWE and its Board of Directors.
The Journal added that McMahon settled with a former manager for $1 million in 2006 following an alleged sexual connection that she was instructed to keep private. Another former WWE contractor received about $1 million; the Journal claims that McMahon emailed the lady unwanted nude images and engaged in workplace sexual harassment.
Similar agreements allegedly were struck with former female employees on behalf of John Laurinaitis, a former wrestler who presently oversees talent relations for WWE, in an initial investigation, which got underway in April.
Watch it here: Youtube/Cultaholic Wrestling
Sources: Dailywire, Iheart, Wsj