John Laurinaitis' Lawyer Confirms Senior WWE Officials Were Aware of Ashley Massaro's Sexual Assault Allegations

VICE has recently published a comprehensive report on Ashley Massaro, detailing the serious accusations she made against WWE before her death in 2019. An affidavit revealed posthumously disclosed that Massaro had been sexually assaulted at a military base in 2007 during a WWE visit, alleging that WWE attempted to suppress the incident. WWE had previously denied knowledge of these allegations, stating that management, including Vince McMahon, was uninformed about the assault and would have acted if they had been.

However, Tim Marchman of VICE has uncovered evidence suggesting otherwise. Legal representatives for John Laurinaitis, a key WWE executive, have confirmed that Laurinaitis, among others in senior management, was aware of the accusations, challenging WWE's initial denial.

The statement from Laurinaitis' lawyer to VICE defended him, saying, "Any allegations that Mr. Laurinaitis helped to cover up an alleged rape allegation is an outright lie. Johnny, like most upper level management at some time became aware of the allegations and ensured all proper WWE protocols were followed, including privacy for the alleged victim. We object to the use of the term cover up as no such plan or plot ever took place to hide or assist in the alleged rape."

Massaro's affidavit painfully recounts being drugged and raped by someone posing as a U.S. Army doctor while on tour with WWE in Kuwait. She claimed that WWE's top executives, including McMahon and Laurinaitis, pressured her to keep quiet about the assault to preserve WWE's military relationships. According to Massaro, McMahon tried to convince her not to let a singular bad experience tarnish the overall positive impact of WWE's work.

Additionally, Laurinaitis and McMahon are implicated in a new lawsuit by Janel Grant, accusing them of sexual assault, mental abuse, and trafficking during her employment with WWE. McMahon is also under investigation by federal authorities.

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