WWE Discovered Two Additional Vince McMahon Payments, SEC Filing Says
Editors’ note: This story contains accounts of sexual assault. If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual assault, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or at https://www.rainn.org.
Two additional undisclosed payments made by former WWE CEO Vince McMahon were revealed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Tuesday.
Previously, The Wall Street Journal reported that the CEO paid more than $12 million in the last 16 years to quiet sexual misconduct and infidelity allegations.
In the original report, four former female employees received the payments and were barred from disclosing any information regarding their relations with the 76-year-old after signing agreements with him.
The new filing brings McMahon’s total payments to $19.6 million. The filing found that he made payments in 2007 and ‘09 totaling $5 million. However, the filing noted that these payments are “unrelated to the allegations that led to the Special Committee investigation.” Instead, these two payments were listed in the “unrecorded expenses” list.
The filing did not specify what these payments were for, unlike the previous four payments.
WWE responded to Tuesday’s filing by stating that it would be filing its 2022 second quarter financial report late as it plans to revisit its ’19, ‘20 and ‘21 financial reports, along with 2022’s first quarter report.
McMahon’s financial investigation began in 2019 when a paralegal with whom McMahon had an affair stepped forward to bring light to the situation. A spokesperson for McMahon called the relationship consensual. They agreed to a $3 million deal for her to stay silent about the situation. It was also uncovered that former WWE executive John Laurinaitis reportedly had an affair with the same paralegal.
In July, three more cases were uncovered. One woman, a former wrestler, said that 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.” She agreed to a $7.5 million pact in ’18, per the report, when she and her lawyer approached the CEO, and, in return, she stayed silent about the incident.
Another case involved a WWE contractor who shared that she received unsolicited nude photos from McMahon and said that he sexually harassed her on the job. McMahon agreed to pay her $1 million payment in 2008, and she signed a nondisclosure agreement.
A former manager said that McMahon initiated a sexual relationship with her after working with him for 10 years. In 2006, they agreed to a $1 million payout for her to stay quiet.
Because of these allegations, McMahon retired from his WWE CEO role on July 22.
