In January, Janel Grant filed a lawsuit against WWE, Vince McMahon, and John Laurinaitis. She alleged sexual abuse and trafficking among other things. She has been represented by The Agency Group.
One week before Netflix's documentary on McMahon drops, SKDK announced that they are also representing Grant, specifically by Kendra Barkoff Lamy. Barkoff Lamy and SKDK have represented survivors of Harvey Weinstein, Jeffery Epstein, and Marilyn Manson. SKDK's website says that they "bring(s) unparalleled strategic communications experience to Fortune 500 companies, non-profits, philanthropic organizations, labor unions, and political committees and candidates." They have a variety of specialities, including women's leadership and advocacy.
A statement from Barkoff Lamy:
“Janel Grant is a survivor of incomprehensible abuse, sexual assault, and human trafficking at the hands of Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE. She has courageously come forward to seek justice for herself and other survivors, and we are honored to support her in sharing her story. It takes immense strength to speak out against Goliaths and we encourage all survivors of sexual harassment, assault and human trafficking to seek the support they need."
Grant's attorney, Ann Callis released the following statement:
“SKDK has a proven track record of uplifting survivors of sexual violence and human trafficking. We look forward to our partnership in seeking justice on behalf of our client Janel Grant.”
On the upcoming documentary, Grant's spokesperson released a statement to reporter B.J. Bethel.
"Netflix's documentary group made initial outreach to Janel's representation for an interview for the project. Despite this, no such interview came to fruition."
With Janel Grant bringing SKDK on board, I asked reps if this meant we might see Grant or one of her rep's interviewed for the McMahon doc. They sent me a statement they had previously released when the doc date was announced. pic.twitter.com/GGfGDtnqi5
— B. J. Bethel (@BJBethelTweets) September 18, 2024
During a press conference on Thursday with Lamy and Callis, they drove home the point that Grant deserves to tell her own story without being part of someone else's. That can be in whatever way Grant sees fit. No one on Grant's team has seen the documentary in advance of the premiere.
Callis confirmed that the lawsuit is stayed until December 2024. If charges are coming, they would like them to come "expeditiously." They would also like to get their civil lawsuit back on track. Although the federal case is taking a long time, they would rather it be right than fast.
Mr. McMahon airs on September 25 exclusively on Netflix.
