Janel Grant is set to speak next week at an event to speak on behalf of survivors of sexual violence.
The Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence issued a press release stating that Grant will be joined by Alex Brown to speak on Thursday, February 19, at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford, Connecticut.
The aim is to push the legislature to codify the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) into state law and make changes to non-disclosure agreements policies that prevent survivors from speaking about past abuse.
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.
Advocates and survivor are calling for changes to state NDA laws to prevent the use of confidentiality provisions that silence survivors of sexual violence, harassment, discrimination and retaliation. Reforming non-disclosure agreement laws ensures that survivors’ rights to speak about harm are enforceable, consistent, and not dependent on the relative power of an employer or institution. Updating state law transforms confidentiality from a tool of coercion into a survivor-centered choice by closing loopholes that allow retaliation, secrecy, and repeated harm.
Grant, who filed a complaint against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis & WWE in January 2024, alleging sexual misconduct, including being assaulted and trafficked.
Laurinaitis has been dropped from the case.
In the release, Grant states:
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. 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.
Earlier this week, Judge Sarah Russell ruled against Grant’s side to begin early discovery as the case awaits a decision by Russell on whether it will proceed through arbitration or not.
