Janel Grant's Sex Trafficking Lawsuit Against Vince McMahon, WWE, & John Laurinaitis Transferred To New Judge

Janel Grant's lawsuit has been switched to a new judge.

An order of transfer was submitted to the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut on January 7 and District Judge Sarah F. Russell will serve as the judge for all further proceedings. Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer was previously the judge on the case.

Sarah French Russell was nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as a district judge on the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut in October 2023. She was then renominated in January 2024 and was finally sworn in on December 20, 2024. Prior to being sworn in, Russell was a law professor and director of the Civil Justice Clinic at Quinnipiac University School of Law.

Janel Grant filed a lawsuit against Vince McMahon, WWE, and John Laurinaitis in January 2024. Vince McMahon has been accused of sex trafficking, sexual assault, and physical and emotional abuse, while it has been alleged that WWE tried to cover up the allegations against McMahon. John Laurinaitis has been accused of sexual assault.

The case was paused from June until December 2024 but has since resumed. All three defendants have refiled motions to compel arbitration, arguing that a clause in Grant's nondisclosure agreement signed with McMahon in January 2022 states that any disagreements should be resolved in arbitration.

Grant claimed in her initial lawsuit in January 2024 that the NDA was unenforceable, citing the Speak Out Act and the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000.

Grant is set to amend her lawsuit against McMahon, Laurinaitis, and WWE and the amendments are expected to be filed on January 15, 2025.

Beyond the civil case, federal prosecutors for the Southern District of New York are still carrying out a criminal investigation into allegations of sex trafficking and sexual misconduct against Vince McMahon dating back to the 1980s.