Former WWE employee Janel Grant is scheduled to speak at an upcoming event hosted by the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence on Thursday, February 19.
Grant will appear alongside Alex Brown as part of an initiative focused on pushing for legislative reform aimed at strengthening protections for incarcerated survivors and increasing accountability within institutions.
According to event organizers, “The event will feature survivors Janel Grant and Alex Brown sharing their lived experiences, alongside advocates, state leaders and policy makers urging legislative action to strengthen protections for incarcerated survivors and ensure transparency and accountability across systems.”
A key focus of the gathering will be proposed reforms to state NDA (non-disclosure agreement) laws. Advocates and survivors are calling for limitations on the use of confidentiality provisions that they say can be used to silence individuals who experience sexual violence, harassment, discrimination, or retaliation.
Grant issued a detailed statement addressing the broader issue of coercive control and the role NDAs can play in maintaining power structures:
“We are all more vulnerable to coercive control than we realize. Coercive control happens in increments, and entire industries are built on systems of coercive control. Tools such as NDAs can be used to ominously justify anything, and even turn a life into someone else’s storyline, keeping even those who have not signed confidentiality agreements working in fear,” Grant stated. “Any system that sacrifices people, whether current or former employees, at the expense of safety and human dignity, is dangerous, if not impossible, for someone to ‘leave.’ I’m not alone in living a life looking over my shoulder. Evolving systems and holistic change in how we address sexual violence remains painfully slow. I am here to be a part of the solution and give a voice to people in Connecticut who are living and working in fear. I want to empower others with information in the hopes that we can create a better and safer world.”
Grant filed a lawsuit in January 2024 against Vince McMahon, WWE, and John Laurinaitis, alleging sexual assault and sex trafficking. McMahon stepped down from his position with TKO/WWE following the filing of the lawsuit. Laurinaitis has since been removed from the case.
The February 19 event is expected to bring together survivors, lawmakers, and advocacy groups as conversations continue around policy reform and accountability within Connecticut and beyond.
