Janel Grant, the former WWE employee currently suing WWE and Vince McMahon regarding alleged abuse, took to her Instagram account today to dispute that she was the responsible party who sent anonymous emails to the WWE Board of Directors, which sparked a butterfly effect that included, among other things, McMahon refusing to pay the remainder of their settlement, the WWE Board investigating McMahon, McMahon announcing his retirement from WWE, Stephanie McMahon departing, returning and exiting the company again, Vince McMahon's decision to return as primary stockholder and force a sale, selling the company to Endeavor to create TKO, Grant's lawsuit against McMahon, McMahon stepping away from the company and creating his own, new company.
On her Instagram account, Janel wrote:
"Anonymous Emails
Reading these for the first time took a sledgehammer to my mental health. I feel like a Taylor Swift lyric and wonder if omeone caged me just to call me crazy. I'm not wired to understand why someone would write them. But I am rtained to notice the use of hair splitters and spin."
Grant then published the following email excerpt that read, "My friend worked at WWE. She is [NAME REDACTED] and we live homeless for a while on percs etc. Etc. We went to get cleaned up together and she met chief chairman Vince McMahon not too long after that. Vince McMahon gave her a job and paid her one hundred thousand dollars every year until he started f**king her then he paid her two hundred thousand dollar a year he is 80 years old and took my friends soul just because he could. Vince McMahon gave her like a toy his friend John who works at WWE too John is 70 and her boss to. My friend was so scared so she quit after Vince McMahon and lawyer Jerry paid her millions of dollars to shut up I am going to the media as well I don't want anything from from I just want the world to know the truth about this pervert."
Grant responded:
"What happened before 2019:
While caring for my parents - two sets of illness, medical debt, hospitalizations - they declared bankruptcy and we lost our family home. Life was such a disaster that Hurricane Sandy dropped a tree on the house that we were in the process of losing.
What never happened: No living on the street. No addictions to "percs." No rehab. There is no person who knew me in life pre-dating 2019 who could write this.
The spin: A friend? I see a trick to steer public perception.
Homeless? I shared my background at work. Rehab? I shared my experience with grief counseling at work.
Addiction? I shared that quitting nicotine lozenges wasn't fun at work. A threat to expose info? It's a highly reactive environment with security vendors in place. The rest of the email? It repackages years of time and illogical events involving a lot of people who have eyeballs into a logic sounding storyline with only a few people. This email doesn't contain allegations. This email is a storyline.
Who sent this? I don't know. But public documents show a reimbursement of $20,098,000 in legal costs related to a special committee's investigation on 3/19/23."
Grant then published screenshots of an email dated 4/11/22 from an anonymous protonmail account that reads:
"The board of directors for major company like wwe does not care that the old founder and his old sidekick johnny Laronitis took advantage of a who only worked hard? She would be angry that I wrote this but I want no money. I am sending this out to your stock holders tomorrow and to all lawyers my friend worked with. The lawyers knows of the settlements investigate and you will see WWE paid for her silence. [REDACTED] is her name. Very good lady. Treated like an animal by Vince Mcmahon and Johnny Loronitis.
Sent with ProtonMail secure email."
A second email dated 4/14/22 reads:
"Deadspin is surprised that board of directors has not checked vince mcmahon s phone which will show all of his hurtful pictures back and forth to [deleted] these include pictures of his privates to a 25 year old employee and them in sex together and with Johnny in sex acts with her. Gross old men abusing a 25 year old.
Sent with ProtonMail secure email."
Grant responded:
"About Anonymous Emails 2 and 3
I'm pretty sick over whether this is implying a revenge porn situation and whether it extends to Deadspin. A media company. I'm sick over whether this is implying I was being filmed and didn't know it. I'm sick over whatever it is that I don't know."
Grant then posted a photo of a fallen tree.
Grant's lawsuit against McMahon and WWE alleges “that McMahon lured her with promises of career advancement, and then he allegedly exploited her and trafficked her to other men inside the company.” Grant signed a nondisclosure agreement in 2022 with McMahon, agreeing to a payment of $3 million to not publicly disparage him or to discuss their relationship. She alleges in the suit that he stopped making payments after $1 million, one third of the agreement, was received. Her lawsuit is seeking to void the NDA and additional financial damages.
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