WWE CEO Vince McMahon allegedly agreed to pay four former female employees more than $12 million over 16 years to gain their silence over allegations of sexual misconduct and infidelity.
According to a Wall Street Journal report sourced from “unnamed people familiar with the deals” and from corporate documents seen by the Journal, the depth and scope of the payments is greater than the previously reported $3 million payment made to a former employee with whom McMahon allegedly had an affair.
The Journal”™s report included hitherto unknown settlements including a $7.5 million pact with a former wrestler who claimed she was demoted and fired for resisting McMahon demands for sexual relations. Another settlement involved $1 million to a WWE contractor who alleged she was sexually harassed by and received unsolicited nude photos of McMahon.
The WWE board of directors is now collaborating with a law firm to investigate McMahon as well as John Laurinaitis, the head of talent relations at the company, over non-disclosure agreements involving former employees. McMahon stepped aside on a temporary basis from his leadership positions at the Stamford-headquartered company while his daughter Stephanie McMahon serves as interim chairman and chief executive.
