Vince McMahon reportedly agreed to pay out more hush money over sexual misconduct allegations.
According to the Wall Street Journal, McMahon "agreed to pay more than $12 million over the past 16 years to suppress allegations of sexual misconduct and infidelity." The payouts reportedly went to four women who were previously associated with WWE. The women reportedly "signed agreements that prohibit them from discussing potential legal claims against or their relationships."
The unreported settlements reportedly include "a $7.5 million pact with a former wrestler who alleged that Mr. McMahon coerced her into giving him oral sex and then demoted her and, ultimately, declined to renew her contract in 2005 after she resisted further sexual encounters." The wrestler and her attorney reportedly approached Mr. McMahon in 2018 and negotiated the payment in return for her silence.
Another unreported deal reportedly states, "a WWE contractor presented the company with unsolicited nude photos of Mr. McMahon she reported receiving from him and alleged that he had sexually harassed her on the job, according to people familiar with the woman’s 2008 nondisclosure agreement. Mr. McMahon agreed to pay her roughly $1 million."
Finally, it's reported that "a 2006 agreement, a former manager who had worked 10 years for Mr. McMahon before he allegedly initiated a sexual relationship with her was paid $1 million to keep quiet about it."
The report states, "Mr. McMahon’s affairs at the company were common knowledge, according to former WWE employees."
It is undetermined by the WSJ whether the board probe includes the nondisclosure agreements involving the contractor and the former manager, or how far back the investigation will go. A spokesman for the board’s independent directors declined to comment.
Neither Mr. Laurinaitis nor an attorney for Mr. McMahon responded to requests for comment by the WSJ.
On June 15, the Wall Street Journal reported the WWE board was investigating a secret $3 million settlement that Vince McMahon reportedly agreed to pay to a departing employee with whom he allegedly had an affair, according to documents and people familiar with the board inquiry.
Board members reportedly learned of the $3 million agreement in a series of anonymous emails they received from someone who said the former WWE paralegal was a friend. The investigation reportedly began in April when other, older nondisclosure agreements involving claims by former female WWE employees of misconduct by Mr. McMahon and John Laurinaitis, the head of talent relations at WWE.
Additionally, the board is reportedly looking at a $1.5 million nondisclosure agreement reached in 2012 with an employee involving misconduct claims against Mr. Laurinaitis.
A company spokesperson has said the company is cooperating with the board inquiry.
Laurinaitis has since been placed on administrative leave with Bruce Prichard taking over as Interim head of talent relations.
On June 17, McMahon voluntarily stepped back as WWE CEO with Stephanie McMahon being named as the Interim CEO. Vince has appeared on WWE SmackDown and Raw programming multiple times since the initial Wall Street Journal report was published.
Fightful will continue to update fans on the investigation as more is known.
