Janel Grant launches IG account ‘in service of the broader conversation’

Janel Grant is continuing to put herself out in the public more as her lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE for alleged sexual assault and trafficking continues, launching an Instagram account Tuesday.

In her bio, she wrote that “I am still surviving, still advocating, still persevering through each day…and I’m still showing up to be part of the solution.”

Grant’s first posts were images of her correspondence with the FBI over the last three years which included pamphlets for those who are victims of crime. She is doing so in support of Raised S.B. 355, which is a bill before the Connecticut General Assembly for the purpose of prohibiting the use of nondisclosure agreements in certain instances in the workplace.

Her signing of a nondisclosure agreement in January 2022 with McMahon is what his side is arguing should bring her lawsuit to arbitration as the agreement states. On June 10, a judge will rule on the language of the agreement, whether it’s valid, and how things should proceed if that is the case.

She wrote the following (transcription courtesy of Post Wrestling) in her first posts:

“This is the first letter I got from the FBI. I got these letters between May 2023 and December 2025. I never thought I’d get a letter like this, much less years of them.

Ahead of the vote in CT on Raised Bill S.B. 355, I believe it’s important to share this letter in service of the broader conversation. When the lack of NDA policy is the status quo, I believe this letter will help others see and understand the real-life impact of that baseline.

The evolution of doing business led to a destination point where a company’s public announcement of an internal investigation, during the summer of 2022, was followed by the launch of a federal investigation related to “hush money payments” made from 2006 through 2022 (per Wall Street Journal)

If the Feds reached out to interview any former/current employees and reviewed their evidence, what would that reveal about culture, use of power, treatment of people, and the status quo in practice?

As reflected in Wall Street Journal reporting, federal agents executed a search warrant and delivered a subpoena in the summer of 2023 for documents related to any allegation of “rape, sex trafficking, sexual assault, commercial sex transaction, harassment or discrimination against current or former employees” of this company. That reporting also notes that multiple names appeared in a grand jury subpoena in connection with settlement agreements related to allegations of sexual misconduct including mine. The article dated February 2, 2024 speaks for itself.

This is why I received letters like this – and why I continued to receive them up until a few months ago. The status quo in practice is how we arrived here. This is our starting line ahead of the vote on Raised Bill S.B. 355.

As the right people are meeting at the right time ahead of this vote, I hope this helps bring clarity and supports productive, dignified conversations that lead to solutions.

Janel Grant’s motion for early discovery in Vince McMahon lawsuit denied

Friday night saw the latest development in the Janel Grant vs. Vince McMahon lawsuit and one that didn’t go the plaintiff’s way, for now anyway.

Grant was seeking early discovery to support her case for avoiding arbitration in the lawsuit, first filed in January 2024, against McMahon and WWE in which she is claiming McMahon sexually assaulted her and trafficked her. Due to the NDA Grant signed with McMahon that contained a private arbitration clause, his side is claiming that should be followed.

First reported by Brandon Thurston for Post Wrestling, judge Sarah Russell ruled that Grant “had not established ‘good cause’ for obtaining records and depositions before the defendants file their anticipated motions to compel arbitration.” However, Russell stated in her judgment that she could reconsider “limited, reciprocal discovery” once the aforementioned arbitration motions are submitted by McMahon.

Part of the reason for Russell’s ruling was that the court “cannot evaluate from the current record whether discovery from Defendants is required to resolve the applicability of defenses Plaintiff may raise to arbitration. Thus, Plaintiff has not met her burden to show good cause for taking discovery before responding to Defendants’ Motions to Compel Arbitration. Plaintiff may renew her Motion for Leave to Take Discovery in conjunction with filing her response in opposition to Defendants’ Motions to Compel.”

It was the first movement on the case in seven months. To that end, Russell ordered both Grant and McMahon’s legal teams to meet in order to decide on McMahon’s motions to compel arbitration, dates for arguments on that issue, and whether both sides want to be referred to a magistrate judge for a possible settlement.

To this point, neither side has commented on the ruling.

WOL: BJ Bethel on the last week of WWE news, Janel Grant case updates

Image: WWE

It’s time for the Saturday Wrestling Observer Live with Jim Valley.

There’s been some massive news stories from WWE over the past seven+ days like the return of Brock Lesnar and WWE legal claiming he has “been cleared” in the Janel Grant lawsuit (whatever that means), and WWE PLEs coming to ESPN starting next April.

Journalist BJ Bethel has been covering the Grant case and the sports broadcasting industry for years. He joins me this week to talk about important aspects of WWE business past, present and future.

It’s a great conversation and you will get a lot out of it. Check it out.

Click here to listen (sub needed)

Daniel Cormier says Brock Lesnar is on a ‘banned list’ and ‘in so much trouble’

Brock Lesnar is on the banned list.

In an interview with Demetrious Johnson, the former UFC heavyweight Champion explained why there isn’t much of a chance of a potential pro wrestling match between himself and Lesnar at the moment.

“I mean, Brock is on a banned list right now,” he explained. “Brock got into so much trouble…I ain’t telling you on air what Brock did. Brock is in so much trouble.”

Cormier didn’t explain what the “banned list” was or what led to Lesnar being on it. The former WWE Champion hasn’t wrestled in WWE since SummerSlam 2023, where he lost to Cody Rhodes. Lesnar was implicated in Janel Grant’s lawsuit that was filed back in January 2024, alleging that Vince McMahon sent Lesnar explicit images and videos of Grant and also offered Lesnar sex with Grant as part of him signing a new contract.

Following the lawsuit, WWE pulled Lesnar from a scheduled return at the 2024 Royal Rumble and removed him from that year’s video game. Despite this, Triple H last year said that they were “open to the conversation” of having Lesnar return.

June 2, 2025 Observer Newsletter: AEW Double or Nothing & WWE SNME recaps, John Laurinaitis dropped from Janel Grant lawsuit

Image: AEW

Dave Meltzer is back with another edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

The lead story is this past Sunday’s AEW Double or Nothing which saw the finals of the men’s and women’s Owen Hart Foundation tournaments, a wild Anarchy in the Arena match, and more.

He also looks at WWE’s weekend with both Saturday Night’s Main Event and NXT Battleground which saw Trick Williams win the TNA World Championship.

He looks at John Laurinaitis being dropped from the Janel Grant lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE and all the details behind that.

All that and more awaits.

Click here to read.

February 10, 2025 Observer Newsletter: WWE Royal Rumble results & news recap, Grant vs. McMahon legal updates

Image: WWE

The newest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is now live for subscribers.

The lead story looks at the latest developments in the Janel Grant vs. Vince McMahon case, followed by a full recap of everything from last Saturday’s WWE Royal Rumble.

Get that and all the news of the week in this week’s issue.

Click here to read.

WOL: Unpacking Janel Grant’s amended lawsuit against Vince McMahon

On today’s Wrestling Observer Live, I cover all the new allegations in the amended Janel Grant lawsuit against Vince McMahon.

Not unlike last year, attorneys for Grant released the updated lawsuit against McMahon and WWE during Royal Rumble weekend. The amended suit has more pages than the first and contains new claims that McMahon forced Grant to send “customized pornographic content” to Michael Hayes and others, that he received nude pics during the filming of the Mr. McMahon series on Netflix, and released more texts related to allegations of sex trafficking.

We’ll talk about it all today.

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Janel Grant lawsuit against Vince McMahon & WWE cleared to resume

This story has been updated.

A six-month long pause in the civil case filed by Janel Grant against Vince McMahon, WWE & John Laurinaitis ended on Wednesday, clearing the way for the near year-long lawsuit to resume.

Filed this past January, Grant’s lawsuit accuses McMahon and Laurinaitis of sexual assault and trafficking during their time together at WWE, something the two men have denied. Both are no longer with WWE or its parent company, TKO.

Per a June request from the U.S. Department of Justice in order to continue their pursuit of their own federal criminal investigation of McMahon, the lawsuit was paused for six months. On Wednesday, the Southern District of New York allowed that pause/stay to expire while the federal investigation also continues.

Grant’s legal team released the following statement about the ruling:

Today, the United States Southern District for New York informed us that they will be letting the stay expire on Janel Grant’s lawsuit against former WWE CEO Vince McMahon, WWE executive John Laurinaitis, and WWE for sexual assault and human trafficking. This decision allows Ms. Grant to proceed with her civil charges against McMahon, Laurinaitis, and WWE while federal prosecutors continue their criminal investigation.

Grant’s lawyer Ann Callis released the following statement of her own:

“We are pleased that prosecutors for the Southern District of New York have concluded that they can continue their criminal investigation while we bring forward new evidence in our civil case about the sexual exploitation carried out by Janel Grant’s abusers. For the last six months, Ms. Grant has patiently waited to hold Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE accountable for the sex trafficking and abuse she endured at the company on a near daily basis. Her wait is over, and we now look forward to sharing Ms. Grant’s story.”

On Thursday, McMahon’s attorney Jessica Rosenberg released a brief statement to Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston:

“Ms. Grant’s representative’s self-serving statement is, as usual, factually incorrect and intellectually dishonest.”

The legal team for WWE or Laurinaitis have yet to release their response as of this writing.

Titus O’Neil says he doesn’t have ‘any bad words’ against Vince McMahon

Titus O’Neil has nothing bad to say about Vince McMahon.

Us Weekly spoke to O’Neil, who talked about the new Netflix docuseries ‘Mr. McMahon’ and the allegations McMahon is currently facing, including a lawsuit from former employee Janel Grant accusing him of sexual assault and trafficking. O’Neil said that despite the allegations, McMahon’s legacy in professional wrestling can’t be ignored.

“At the end of the day, what he built cannot be erased,” O’Neil, said. “It’s sad that the situation came to what it came to, but I don’t have any bad words for Vince. It’s very interesting to hear different perspectives on things, but at the end of the day, I’ll forever be grateful for what Vince McMahon built, the platform that he built for so many people. He’s human, just like anyone else.”

O’Neil also said that while he can’t condone what is being alleged, he says that McMahon and WWE have helped change his life for the better.

“Do I condone some of the things that I’ve read? No. But I don’t know all the insides and outs of what’s going on and what’s not going on. All I know is that my life was changed because I had an opportunity to become a WWE superstar. So many people’s lives were changed because they had an opportunity to work for that company. 

“Have we had our differences of opinion on certain things? Absolutely,” he added. “But at the end of the day, he essentially helped me change my life. My kids are in college because of the opportunity that I have with WWE. They went to private school. All three of my children are in college on a scholarship doing well.”

Grant’s lawsuit against McMahon is on pause as the Justice Department continues its investigation into McMahon. He spoke out against the docuseries ahead of its release last week, saying it confuses him with his Mr. McMahon television persona.

Vince McMahon files motion to lift court-ordered pause in Janel Grant lawsuit

The legal team of Vince McMahon filed a motion on Thursday to lift a court-ordered stay of the Janel Grant lawsuit.

The suit filed against himself, WWE and John Laurinaitis was put on pause in mid-June by judge Jeffrey Meyer after both sides agreed to do so based on a request from the Department of Justice as a federal investigation into McMahon continues. That meant the earliest the suit could resume would be December 11, 2024.

In a statement to Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston Thursday, McMahon lawyer Jessica Taub Rosenberg stated the following:

“Today’s motion is in response to Ms. Grant’s flagrant violation of the federal Stay Order. After telling the Federal Court that she would pause her lawsuit, Ms. Grant immediately violated the Stay Order seeking one-sided discovery for her own benefit. Her lawyer told the media that the information sought in the new Connecticut state action is ‘to assist in our claims in the federal action.’ We are asking the federal Court to ensure that Plaintiff abides by the Court’s order and if she does not that civil contempt and financial sanctions may result.”

It’s assumed the state action is Grant’s attorneys submitting a pre-action discovery petition against both Peak Wellness and its owner/CEO Carlon Colker seeking medical records related to Grant’s treatment at the clinic as it concerns the sex trafficking lawsuit against WWE, McMahon and Laurinaitis.

The Latest: Vince McMahon/Janel Grant lawsuit updates, WWE contracts, NXT surprises

Welcome to another episode of The Latest with Denise Salcedo breaking down the biggest wrestling news headlines of the week so far.

TOPICS:

  • Janel Grant delays Vince McMahon, WWE lawsuit at Justice Department’s request
  • Former WWE wrestler Gable Steveson signs with NFL team
  • Becky Lynch taking ‘an extended leave’ from WWE
  • WWE contract notes: Lynch, Natalya, Chad Gable, Ricochet
  • Shawn Michaels teases ‘very exciting announcements’ coming for WWE NXT
  • WWE NXT draws best ratings since January
  • Will Ospreay to challenge for AEW World title at Forbidden Door
  • MJF’s AEW Dynamite return set for next week’s episode
  • Tony Khan ‘could easily be sold’ on more AEW weekly programming
  • Updates on AEW & WBD TV rights renewal negotiations, potential per year figures
  • AEW Dynamite ratings up for Double or Nothing fallout

May 20, 2024 Observer Newsletter: More Grant vs. McMahon developments, AEW Collision residency

Vince McMahon’s attorneys made more claims against Janel Grant in a filing where they argued against Ann Callis’ attempt to get McMahon’s lawsuit response stricken.

His attorneys claimed that Callis’ attempt to get the response stricken was meritless and the height of hypocrisy.

Callis on 4/24 in her attempt to get McMahon’s response stricken, wrote, “Instead of using his Motion in the appropriate manner—to raise legal arguments concerning whether this dispute must be submitted to arbitration—McMahon instead uses the Motion’s “Preliminary Statement” as a platform to launch vicious falsehoods attacking Janel’s moral character in a transparent attempt to harass and intimidate her into submission. McMahon’s easily refuted lies have no place in this case. It was not necessary, reasonable, or responsible to use a public filing to impugn Janel’s moral character. Indeed, McMahon’s desperate attempt to distract from the legal substance of the Motion highlight its weakness and the weakness of his overall case.”

The response also claimed that the original lawsuit showed, “Private sexual text messages from Defendant without including any of Plaintiff’s responses to those texts—responses which are equally and often more aggressive and provocative than Defendant’s communications and show not only that the relationship was consensual, but also that in many instances the Plaintiff was the initiator.”

It is also noteworthy that McMahon’s attorneys state that McMahon no longer had the email exchanges because he deleted them when the relationship ended.

But they claimed that Grant would still have them based on them being in the court filing and that in Discovery that will show that Grant also sent McMahon sexually explicit images and messages.

It should be noted that while McMahon’s side completely disputes her lawsuit and claimed it was baseless and almost all lies, they do acknowledge that the texts shown in the suit were legitimate.

Also in this issue:

  • AEW is doing their first-ever residency later this summer
  • WWE & AEW are prepping for PPVs next weekend
  • The life & amazing times of Bob Bruggers

Click Here to Read

Wrestling Observer Live: Sempervive & Storm talk WWE news, AEW Dynamite recap

With Bryan Alvarez currently producing a children’s dinner theater production of O Pioneers!, Lance Storm joins me on the Thursday Wrestling Observer Live to talk about the world of professional wrestling.

We discuss the latest updates in the Janel Grant lawsuit against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis and WWE and WWE’s attempt to block the Texas Attorney General from publicly releasing its bid for the 2023 Royal Rumble.

Plus, we took a look at last night’s AEW Dynamite, the silliness of Oklahoma banning Nyla Rose, Asuka talking about her knee injury, and more.

A fun show as always, so check it out~!

Click Here to Listen (sub needed) or watch on YouTube below:

WWE supports Vince McMahon motion in Janel Grant lawsuit

WWE is siding with Vince McMahon in the lawsuit against Janel Grant.

The company filed a memorandum on Wednesday in support of Vince McMahon’s motion to compel arbitration, disputing Grant’s allegations in the lawsuit.

“WWE disputes Grant’s allegations. But, as a threshold matter, this dispute cannot be heard in court because Grant agreed to arbitrate her claims. WWE therefore moves to compel this action to arbitration,” WWE said in the filing.

If the case moves to arbitration, that would mean that the case would move to private mediation and out of public court. All three defendants in the lawsuit (WWE, McMahon, and John Laurinitis) support taking the suit in this direction.

“Simply put, Grant has no claims actionable in this Court because the separation and non-disclosure agreement she signed with McMahon and WWE (the “Agreement”)—the monetary benefits of which she concededly accepted and retained—contains an arbitration provision that unambiguously precludes this Court from adjudicating her claims,” WWE further said.

WWE also said that which parts of the dispute should be handled in arbitration should ultimately be decided by an arbitrator.

“This action should be compelled to arbitration. The Agreement—which Grant concededly negotiated, signed, and accepted the benefits of—contains a clear and unambiguous arbitration provision. That provision requires not only that all claims Grant asserts here be decided in arbitration, but also that the threshold question of the arbitrability of those claims be decided by an arbitrator. The Court should grant WWE’s motion to compel arbitration and order that the claims proceed to arbitration, as the parties intended and as the Agreement requires.”

In her initial lawsuit, Grant said that the NDA was unenforceable, listing the Speak Out Act and the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protecting Act of 2000. WWE said in their filing that neither applies to arbitration.

Earlier on Wednesday, Vince McMahon filed a new document presenting a “Statement of Undisputed Material Facts” in the lawsuit.

The Latest: Vince McMahon/Janel Grant suit, Sami Zayn on WWE title win chances

Welcome to another episode of The Latest with Denise Salcedo breaking down the biggest wrestling news headlines of the week so far.

On this episode of The Latest, Denise goes over the most recent news regarding the Vince McMahon and Janel Grant lawsuit, as Vince McMahon has responded to Janel Grant’s motion to strike comments. Additionally, Sami Zayn explains why a WWE World title reign was more likely to occur under the Vince McMahon era vs the Paul Levesque era. Lastly, to close out the video, King & Queen of the Ring tournament updates.