By Zilber
A woman accusing former WWE boss Vince McMahon of sex trafficking and assault on Thursday agreed to pause her lawsuit at the request of the Justice Department as the feds conduct their own investigation..
Janel Grant alleged McMahon used her as a sex slave and defecated on her head in her bombshell lawsuit against the wrestling mogul and another executive, John Laurinaitis, that was filed in Connecticut federal court earlier this year.
“Ms. Grant has consented to a request by the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York to stay her case against Mr. McMahon, WWE and Mr. Laurinaitis, pursuant to a pending non-public investigation,” Ann Callis, an attorney for Grant, said in an emailed statement.
“We will cooperate with all appropriate next steps.”
McMahon and Laurinaitis have denied the allegations.
“We remain confident the evidence will prove Ms. Grant’s allegations are false and her complaint is nothing more than a fabricated, vindictive narrative from a disgruntled former girlfriend,” Jessica Rosenberg, McMahon’s lawyer, told.
The stay is valid for six months, a person with knowledge of the situation told.
A court filing on Thursday indicated that Sarah Mortazavi, an assistant US attorney based in Manhattan, has joined the federal government’s investigation into McMahon.
The US Attorney’s Office declined comment.
McMahon – who resigned as executive chairman of WWE-parent TKO Group Holdings following Grant’s lawsuit – is the subject of a federal investigation into several alleged hush money payments made to women over the course of several years.
In court filings last month, McMahon alleged that Grant was a willful participant in their sexual trysts. He claimed she would sneak into his penthouse apartment to get in his bed late at night before returning to her place in the same building.
McMahon has also alleged that Grant wrote him love letters and was planning a future together with him. Grant’s reps have denied the claims, saying she was coerced into writing the notes.
Grant was employed by McMahon at WWE headquarters in Stamford between June 2019 and March 2022. She alleged that McMahon passed around pornographic pictures and videos of her to other men, including other WWE employees.
Grant is seeking unspecified monetary damages and to have the court void a $3 million nondisclosure agreement, of which she alleges she received only $1 million.
