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Warning: The following article features a discussion about a lawsuit that alleges sexual trauma and abuse.
On January 26, The Wall Street Journal reported that Janel Grant filed a lawsuit against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE for alleged sexual assault and trafficking. Among other offenses, the lawsuit alleges that McMahon and Laurinaitis engaged in the sexual assault and trafficking of Grant.
Speaking with Angenette Levy on Law&Crime, Janel Grant’s attorney, Ann Callis, discussed the lawsuit. Callis was asked why Grant continued her relationship after Vince McMahon allegedly defecated on her.
“Well, there is a thing called trauma bonding that people that, people haven’t studied it, but she literally felt caged and imprisoned by Vince McMahon, and the degrading, the escalation of degrading things that happened to her, it’s important for it to come out,” Callis said. “These are facts, and these are allegations that we hope.”
What Does Janel Grant Hope To Accomplish?
Levy then asked Callis what Grant hopes to accomplish with the lawsuit. Callis made it clear that Callis wants her life back, and she wants to help other victims.
“She wants her life back, she wants ownership of her story,” Callis said. “She wants to help other victims. This is relatively close in time, 2019 when this unfolded, 2020, and her hope is to help other victims, if there are other victims, to come forward because she had the courage and the presence of mind to finally get this done and come forward.”
When asked what Grant had been up to and whether she had found other employment, Callis emphasized that the alleged abuse took a took on Grant, and filing the lawsuit was hopefully her first step to recovery.
“What happened to her and what we allege left her physically and mentally absolutely destroyed. So she I trying to recover,” Callis said. “She believes this is the first step. Filling this lawsuit took some tremendous courage from her. She was in an extremely vulnerable position when she first encountered Vince McMahon. Her parents had passed.
“She was the primary caregiver for her parents. So already, besides being in an inordinately uneven playing field between Vince McMahon and Janel, our client, she still tried to conduct herself, tried to be the best possible employee for the WWE that she could be, under the most devastating and sexually depraved circumstances.”
Janel Grant’s Attorney On Whether Abuse Was Known In WWE
Levy went on to ask whether the alleged abuse was a known thing in WWE, as the suit claims that McMahon and Laurinaitis had sex with Grant while others knew. Callis stated that they were claiming the abuse happened “under the nose” of WWE executives and employees.
“It is disturbing, what happened to her is disturbing to her, and I believe it was in John Laurinaitis’ office that they locked, I believe that,” Callis said. “But yes, she was sexually assaulted, we are claiming, in the WWE headquarters, under the nose of the executives and the employees.”
Levy then asked if it was a open secret, and she said it was horrifying. Callis agreed and noted that Grant was in an environment of gear that seemingly permeated the office.
” “It is horrifying, but Janel was in just an atmosphere of fear. I think perhaps some of the employees or many of the employees were in an atmosphere of fear, and that permeated her being, and I think it permeated the office of the entire headquarters.”
Do They Think There Were Other Victims?
When asked whether they thought there were other victims, Callis stated that there were indicators that that may be the case, whether they worked for the company or not.
“Whether they worked in the company or not, yes, the belief is there are other victims out there,” Callis said. “Just the way that the grooming of Janel went on, it just indicates that are a lot of indicators that there may be, and probably are, other victims out there. One of Janel’s hopes is that by coming forward, she will give the courage to other victims to come forward.”
Callis was asked whether Grant knew of other victims or people who could support her experiences. She stated that they were gathering witnesses ahead of the trial. However, she said that Grant did not personally know anyone.
“That’s later, for trial, we gather all our witnesses. But personally, she does not, but there also is, there can be empirical circumstances that she may have encountered that could have indicated that there were other victims. But personally, one on one, she doesn’t have direct knowledge.”
Janel Grant’s Attorney: She Was Targeted And Preyed Upon
When asked, Callis noted that there are other text messages beyond the ones in the suit that allege that Janel was trafficked, and they are gathering a pool Of evidence. Callis also said that they are trying to invalidate the NDA grant previously signed. Levy subsequently asked Callis whether they felt that Grant had been targeted and preyed upon.
“Right, she was targeted and preyed upon. As I mentioned before, she was in a very vulnerable position, and Vince McMahon took advantage of that, and then took it a million steps further in the sexual torture, the degradation, the push/pull of trauma-bonding, all occurred to her. And she’s still to this day trying to process what happened to her.
“She literally could not get out of bed, she [didn’t] have any personal grooming. She was not really eating. It’s really taken a toll, besides the physical injuries she’d suffered, it’s gonna be a long process. But hopefully yesterday, by filing the suit, it’s her first step in the healing process.”
A Statement From Janel Grant
At the end of the video, Callis read a statement from Grant:
“That she hopes any doors of secrecy have been blown off their hinges, and that fresh air fills the headquarters. 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.
WrestleZone will provide more information about the lawsuit as it becomes available.
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