Vince McMahon Accuser Janel Grant Issues First Statement Since Filing Civil Suit
Thursday saw news break of a sex trafficking lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE. The suit's claimant, Janel Grant, alleges McMahon conducted severe acts of sexual abuse, exploitation, and trafficking of her to other employees during her time working with WWE. It's alleged that WWE as a company was complicit in McMahon's actions, allowing McMahon to conduct himself in a predatory way and target Grant, who is mentioned as being in an extremely vulnerable position when first meeting him. Grant's lawyer, Ann Callis, spoke to Angenette Levy for "Crime Fix" about the lawsuit and shared a prepared statement from Ms. Grant herself.
"She hopes any doors to secrecy have been blown off their hinges and that fresh air fills the headquarters," Callis said, conveying Grant's message. "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."
Callis was asked why her client endured what was alleged so long.
"Well there is a thing called trauma bonding," Callis said. "She literally felt caged and imprisoned by Vince McMahon. And the degrading, the escalation of the degrading things that happened to her, it's important for it to come out, these are facts, these are allegations we hope to prove to be true, and they are true."
Janel Grant wants to help other victims come forward
Callis continued, outlining what exactly Grant wants to see happen as the ultimate outcome of the lawsuit.
"She wants her life back, she wants ownership of her story, she wants to help other victims," Callis said. "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 come forward."
Grant's lawyer further described how her client had been left physically and mentally destroyed by the alleged actions. She was also asked whether there are any other potential victims of Vince McMahon's alleged actions working within the company, to which she revealed there is a belief that there are other victims out there — whether they worked for WWE or not — and said Grant hopes to inspire others to come forward and tell their story on their terms. However, Ms. Grant does not know of any other victims personally.
Vince McMahon resigned from his positions with TKO and WWE shortly after Callis' appearance on "Crime Fix" following Slim Jim pausing their promotional relationship with the company, which has since been reactivated.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).