Vince McMahon Reportedly Paid Out Over $12 Million In "Hush Money" To 4 Women

The Wall Street Journal is reporting Vince McMahon agreed to pay over $12 million in "hush money" over the past 16 years to "suppress allegations of sexual misconduct and infidelity".

The money was reportedly distributed to four women who signed a non-disclosure agreement with McMahon that prevents them from "discussing potential legal claims against or their relationships with" McMahon.

One of the payments was a $7.5 million payout to a former wrestler who is alleging that McMahon coerced her into giving him oral sex, then demoted her and did not allow her to renew her contract in 2005 when she refused further sexual encounters. The payment for her silence was sealed in 2018 with support from her attorney.

Another sizable but smaller payment of roughly $1 million was made in 2008 after a WWE contractor presented the company with unsolicited nude photos she had received from McMahon. She alleges he sexually harassed her while working for the company.

Going back further to 2006, a former manager of McMahon with a tenure of 10 years was believed to be paid $1 million to stay quiet about sexual relations.

This all preceded the January 2022 $3 million agreement with a former WWE paralegal that opened the investigation into Vince McMahon by the WWE board of directors.

WWE’s board of directors is said to be investigating the agreement with the paralegal, and the aforementioned 2018 agreement with the former wrestler. Additionally, the board is looking into a $1.5 million non-disclosure agreement involving misconduct claims against John Laurinaitis that was reached in 2012 with a former employee who alleged that she had an affair with him.