Janel Grant releases statement via lawyer after filing lawsuit against Vince McMahon
Janel Grant's lawyer, Ann Callis, says the former WWE employee hopes her lawsuit against Vince McMahon encourages others to speak out.
Grant worked in WWE's legal and talent departments between 2019 and 2022. On Thursday, she accused McMahon of sexual assault and trafficking in a 67-page lawsuit. McMahon denied the allegations, which included a claim that he offered Grant to an unnamed WWE wrestler for sex.
In an interview on Law&Crime, Callis released the following statement on behalf of her client:
"She hopes any doors of secrecy have been blown off their hinges and that fresh air fills the headquarters, and she hopes those at the company, past and present, who fear speaking out about harm is a thing of the past. She wishes everyone peace." [13:11 – 13:29]
On Friday, McMahon resigned as a board member of WWE's parent company TKO. The 78-year-old claimed Grant's lawsuit was "replete with lies" and "made-up instances that never occurred." However, he decided to resign "out of respect" for TKO, WWE, and the company's fans and wrestlers.
Janel Grant allegedly "felt caged and imprisoned" by Vince McMahon
According to the lawsuit, Vince McMahon instructed Janel Grant to engage in sexual activity with himself and other men, including former WWE executive John Laurinaitis.
Ann Callis claims her client felt pressured into doing things she did not want to do during her time in WWE:
"There is a thing called trauma bonding that people that haven't studied it – and I have just read articles about it, I'm no psychologist or psychiatrist, but an attorney – but she literally felt caged and imprisoned by Vince McMahon, and the escalation of the degrading things that happened to her, it's important for it to come out. These are facts, and these are allegations that we hope to prove to be true, and they are true." [2:07 – 2:46]
Shortly after McMahon's resignation, the former WWE Chairman's profile page was removed from the company's website.
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