McMahon.
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- The WWE board is investigating a $3 million payment CEO Vince McMahon made to a former female employee.
- The Wall Street Journal first reported the investigation on Wednesday.
- The investigation uncovered other agreements with women who claimed misconduct, the Journal reports.
The board of wrestling-entertainment company WWE is investigating payments CEO Vince McMahon made to female employees, some of whom claimed misconduct against McMahon and another WWE exec, that barred them from speaking out about their complaints, The Wall Street Journal first reported on Wednesday.
The investigation started in April after the board received a tip about a $3 million payment to a now-former female employee that McMahon was allegedly having an affair with, according to The Journal. The agreement reportedly prohibits the employee, a paralegal at the time, from discussing the alleged affair.
A WWE spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment from Insider, but told the Journal the former paralegal’s relationship with McMahon was consensual and the company was cooperating during the investigation.
McMahon’s attorney, Jerry McDevitt, told the Journal the paralegal hadn’t claimed any harassment against McMahon and that “WWE did not pay any monies” to her.
The board’s investigation has also found older nondisclosure agreements with other former female employees worth millions of dollars, following misconduct claims they made against McMahon and WWE’s talent relations chief, John Laurinaitis, the Journal reported.
The WWE board has hired an outside law firm, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, to conduct the investigation, according to the Journal. Insider reached out to the firm for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
