A lady accusing former WWE boss Vince McMahon of sex trafficking and assault on Thursday agreed to pause her lawsuit on the request of the Justice Division because the feds conduct their very own investigation..
Janel Grant alleged McMahon used her as a sex slave and defecated on her head in her bombshell lawsuit in opposition to the wrestling mogul and one other government, John Laurinaitis, that was filed in Connecticut federal courtroom earlier this yr.
“Ms. Grant has consented to a request by the US Legal professional for the Southern District of New York to remain her case against Mr. McMahon, WWE and Mr. Laurinaitis, pursuant to a pending private investigation,” Ann Callis, an lawyer for Grant, stated in an emailed assertion to The Publish.
“We are going to cooperate with all applicable subsequent steps.”
McMahon and Laurinaitis have denied the allegations.
“We stay assured the proof will show Ms. Grant’s allegations are false and her criticism is nothing greater than a fabricated, vindictive narrative from a disgruntled former girlfriend,” Jessica Rosenberg, McMahon’s lawyer, advised The Publish.
The Publish has sought remark from WWE and Laurinaitis.
The keep is legitimate for six months, an individual with information of the state of affairs advised The Publish.
A courtroom submitting on Thursday indicated that Sarah Mortazavi, an assistant US lawyer primarily based in Manhattan, has joined the federal authorities’s investigation into McMahon.
The US Legal professional’s Workplace declined remark.
McMahon — who resigned as executive chairman of WWE-parent TKO Group Holdings following Grant’s lawsuit — is the subject of a federal investigation into a number of alleged hush cash funds made to girls over the course of a number of years.
In courtroom filings final month, McMahon alleged that Grant was a willful participant in their sexual trysts. He claimed she would sneak into his penthouse condo to get in his mattress late at night time earlier than returning to her place in the identical constructing.
McMahon has additionally alleged that Grant wrote him love letters and was planning a future along with him. Grant’s reps have denied the claims, saying she was coerced into writing the notes.
Grant filed the lawsuit in January after he allegedly didn’t fork over $3 million in hush cash to maintain their relationship a secret.
Grant was employed by McMahon at WWE headquarters in Stamford between June 2019 and March 2022. She alleged that McMahon handed round pornographic footage and movies of her to different males, together with different WWE staff.
Grant is in search of unspecified financial damages and to have the courtroom void a $3 million nondisclosure settlement, of which she alleges she acquired solely $1 million.
