A Connecticut-based advocacy group for sexual violence survivors will be honoring ex-WWE staffer Janel Grant later this year.
The Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence will give Grant the 2026 Advocacy in Action Award later this year, the organization confirmed in a recent social media post.
Grant filed a lawsuit in January 2024, alleging that she was trafficked by Vince McMahon while working as a WWE staffer from 2019 to 2022. McMahon has denied her allegations. In the lawsuit, she attempted to void a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) she had previously signed, claiming she agreed to the contract under duress.
After more than two years of legal filings, the parties are currently negotiating heading to arbitration, following a joint filing submitted to the court last week.
End Sexual Violence’s announcement said:
Janel is a survivor of workplace sexual assault and trafficking who was silenced by a nondisclosure agreement she was forced to enter into with a CT corporation. Since then, she has been instrumental in advocating for the passage of legislation to limit the use of NDAs when they silence survivors, using advocacy to frame NDA reform as a matter of supporting and protecting human rights.
Janel is an incredibly kind, empathetic, and brave woman who believes in the power of being the light you want to see in people showing up for one another. She is committed to developing a new framework that establishes standards for effectively addressing the complex intersections of power dynamics, coercive control, and mental health.
Grant responded to the announcement, saying the Connecticut Alliance “are my heroes.”
“Their services save lives,” she wrote on Instagram. “They saved mine. I’m committed to paying it forward and supporting others like they have supported me.”
Grant will be honored at the organization’s breakfast event on September 11.
