Janel Grant can move forward with civil lawsuit against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE after stay expires

As a seasoned gamer and follower of the wrestling world, I find myself both appalled and saddened by the ongoing saga surrounding Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and the WWE. The allegations against these individuals are far beyond the realm of entertainment and border on criminal activity.

Approximately half a year following Janel Grant’s lawsuit being temporarily halted by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), her legal action is now set to proceed. The Department of Justice had asked her to postpone her case against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE due to an ongoing federal grand jury probe initiated in 2023.

As per a statement from Grant’s team released on Wednesday, the U.S. Southern District of New York has decided not to extend the stay on Janel Grant’s lawsuit against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE for allegations of sexual assault and human trafficking. This means that Ms. Grant can now move forward with her civil case against McMahon, Laurinaitis, and WWE, while federal investigators continue their criminal investigation.

Grant’s attorney, Ann Callis, released the following statement:

We’re glad that prosecutors in the Southern District of New York have decided they can carry on their criminal probe as we present fresh evidence in our civil lawsuit concerning Janel Grant’s sexual exploitation. For the past six months, Ms. Grant has been patiently waiting to bring Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE to justice for the repeated sex trafficking and abuse she suffered at the company. Now, her wait is finally over, and we eagerly anticipate revealing Ms. Grant’s story.

This year in January, a lawsuit was filed by Grant against McMahon, Laurinaitis, and WWE. The complaint involved charges of sex trafficking, physical abuse, emotional distress (either intentional or negligent), ordinary negligence, and breach of the Trafficking Victims Prevention Act (TVPA). In April, both McMahon and Laurinaitis requested mediation as a response.

Janel Grant files bill of discovery against doctor who treated her

During the temporary halt in the case, Grant submitted a request for discovery documents against Dr. Carlon Colker. Colker was on McMahon’s payroll, and Grant claims that McMahon forced her to seek treatment from Colker. She alleges that she was injected with unknown substances intravenously and orally.

She has been striving to acquire all her electronic health records, invoicing documents, as well as any correspondence between McMahon and Colker concerning her. Both McMahon and Colker attempted to halt the court order from being executed. However, on August 6, 2024, McMahon’s obstruction was overruled.

According to Grant’s account, she encountered Colker at least 60 separate instances from 2019 to 2022. During a press event regarding the filing, Callis disclosed that despite Grant seeking help for her condition, it only worsened. Grant endured physical abuse almost every day for over two years.

McMahon, WWE face another lawsuit

Back in October, a fresh legal action emerged from five ex-“Ring Boys”, who claimed to have endured sexual abuse by a late former ring announcer, Mel Phillips. This lawsuit was directed towards McMahon, Linda McMahon, the WWE, and their corporate parent TKO, alleging that they were aware of these abuses.

According to a statement from DiCello Levitt & Murphy, Falcon & Murphy, the alleged abuse occurred at wrestling arenas, hotels, and various other visible locations. They assert that all defendants knew of the widespread and systemic abuse yet failed to intervene or stop it. The lawsuit paints a grim picture of the abuse suffered by these five individuals when they were minors, as detailed in the legal document.

On December 6th, a federal judge issued a pause on the ongoing lawsuit against WWE. Four days earlier, WWE had requested that the lawsuit be dismissed, citing issues with state court jurisdiction and claims for damages exceeding $75,000. Judge James K. Bredar agreed to this temporary halt. This stay is contingent upon a decision by Maryland’s Supreme Court regarding the Maryland Child Victims Act of 2023 (CVA).

As reported by ABC News, House Bill 1 in Maryland proposes to abolish the statute of limitations for certain civil actions involving child sexual abuse. This encompasses not just sexual abuse itself but also any criminal sexual conduct. The case known as “The Ring Boys” lawsuit was filed in Maryland, and a ruling from the high court is expected by August 31, 2025.

Linda has been nominated to President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet as the education secretary. Since mainstream media and Trump’s team have been made aware of the current “Ring Boys” lawsuit, her nomination has been called into question. Trump is a WWE Hall of Famer and Linda served as his administrator of Small Business Administration during his first presidency. In 2019, she resigned to join the pro-Trump Super PAC, America First Action as chair. The Super PAC worked to get Trump re-elected in 2020.

2024-12-12 22:45