WWE President Nick Khan and Chief Operating Officer Brad Blum have been revealed among previously unnamed corporate officers referenced in the Janel Grant sex trafficking lawsuit.
The news was first reported by POST Wrestling’s John Pollock, Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics and Tim Marchman, who collaborated on the story published on Monday by Front Office Sports.
Janel Grant, a former WWE employee, filed her lawsuit against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis and the company on January 25th, 2024. The suit alleges grave sexual, physical and psychological abuse that continued between 2019 and 2022.
The lawsuit states that two previously unnamed high-ranking WWE officials were key to Ms. Grant’s employment “in a completely undefined role, except for the understanding that she remain a sexual slave to be used and trafficked by McMahon within the WWE.”
They were referenced as “Corporate Officer No. 1” and “Corporate Officer No. 2”, but have been revealed as Nick Khan and Brad Blum, respectively.
Front Office Sports independently verified this information, and Janel Grant’s lawyer, Ann Callis, stated, “Those names are correct.”
The lawsuit does not contend that any WWE employee outside of Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis participated in or had direct knowledge of the sexual violence and other abuse that Ms. Grant alleges.
However, the previously unnamed corporate officers are accused of facilitating her exploitation such that WWE is liable under federal anti-trafficking legislation.
WWE issued the following statement:
WWE takes Ms. Grant’s allegations very seriously and has no tolerance for any physical abuse or unwanted physical contact. Neither Nick Khan nor Brad Blum, prior to the lawsuit being filed on January 25, 2024, were aware of any allegation by Ms. Grant that she was the victim of abuse or unwanted physical contact; nor does the complaint allege that either had knowledge of such.
Janel Grant’s civil action alleges that Khan and Blum were key lieutenants of Vince McMahon and were complicit in her gaining and retaining employment in WWE despite her having little relevant experience.
It is alleged that Blum met her and “asked hardly any questions,” and she subsequently was hired into a $75,000-a-year job in WWE’s legal department.
After rumors circulated about Ms. Grant’s and Vince McMahon’s relationship, she alleges she was transferred from legal to the talent relations department, led at the time by John Laurinaitis.
According to the lawsuit, Nick Khan responded to her introducing herself by telling her he “knew exactly who she was”. Later the same day, Vince McMahon allegedly told Ms. Grant that he had met Khan and Blum and informed them of their relationship. The suit states that McMahon told her the two men had voiced concerns and “inquired whether Grant could be trusted.” WWE denies this.
McMahon allegedly then told Ms. Grant that Blum and Khan had “expressed concern but were ultimately supportive.”
The person identified in the suit as Corporate Officer No. 3 is, according to Front Office Sports and confirmed by Grant’s lawyer, former WWE executive Stephanie McMahon. She is mentioned in the lawsuit as having knowledge “of other instances of [Vince] McMahon engaging in inappropriate sexual conduct”.
An incident is described in which Ms. McMahon gestured to Janel Grant to sit near her at a high-level corporate meeting. Front Office Sports notes that Stephanie McMahon could not be contacted for comment at the time of the story’s publication.
The person identified as Corporate Officer No. 4, according to reporting by Front Office Sports, again confirmed by Grant’s lawyer, is Brian Nurse, former head of WWE’s legal department. According to the suit, Vince McMahon told Ms Grant that he had ordered Nurse to offer Grant her initial position in the company in 2019.
Nurse could not be reached by Front Office Sports at the time of publication.
During her employment with WWE, Janel Grant’s lawsuit alleges that she was subjected to “extreme cruelty and degradation,” including multiple graphic descriptions of sexual, physical and psychological abuse, including rape. The lawsuit states that the abuse went on for years, only ending in 2022.
Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis deny the allegations against them.
