A former employee of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) corporation, who has accused the company’s ex-CEO Vince McMahon of sexual battery and human trafficking, is now urging the company to release other former and current employees from their non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). This would allow them to potentially come forward with similar allegations.
The request was made in a letter sent by the plaintiff’s attorney to lawyers representing WWE, McMahon, and John Laurinaitis, a former WWE executive and wrestler, who is also named in the lawsuit. The letter argues that if WWE is serious about distancing itself from McMahon and the toxic work environment he allegedly created, then the company should have no issue with releasing employees from their NDAs.
The lawsuit, filed in January, accuses McMahon of subjecting the plaintiff to graphic sexual assault, harassment, and trafficking, among other forms of physical and emotional abuse. McMahon has denied the allegations, calling them “lies” and “vindictive distortions of the truth.” He claims to have had a consensual relationship with the plaintiff and never mistreated her.
The plaintiff alleges that she was pressured into leaving her job and signing a $3 million NDA, which she claims was breached when McMahon failed to pay the full amount. The lawsuit seeks to have the agreement declared invalid and is also seeking damages.
Four other women, formerly affiliated with WWE, have signed similar NDAs with McMahon, which prevent them from discussing their relationships with him. In a separate case, McMahon agreed to pay a female former wrestling referee millions of dollars to settle her allegations of rape in 1986.
The request to waive enforcement of NDAs is similar to those made in other high-profile cases of sexual misconduct, such as the Weinstein Co. and NBC Universal. Victims’ lawyers argue that NDAs are used to silence accusers and allow alleged abusers to avoid accountability. Recent federal and state laws have been enacted to curb the use of NDAs that block victims of sexual harassment from speaking publicly about their allegations.
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