Earlier this week, the legal team of Vince McMahon responded with a strong statement in defense of the former WWE president, in which he denied any wrongdoing involving him Janel Grant. The 29-page document represents the most substantial denial from McMahon and comes as the 78-year-old enlisted the services of the public relations firm Sitrick and Company. The powerful firm is led by Michael S. Sitrick, who has been called “one of the most skilled practitioners of the dark arts of public relations” by Fortune magazine and “a public relations puppet master who has pulled the strings behind some of the world’s biggest stories. media” in an excerpt from the LA Times.
Contact with Vince McMahon It came about through an existing relationship between Sitrick and attorneys Marc Kasowitz and Jessica T. Rosenberg of Kasowitz Benson Torres, the legal team representing McMahon. Sitrick made it clear that his team did its due diligence on the case before accepting McMahon as a client.
He noted that he is working directly with McMahon: “We help build and restore reputations and bring out the truth”, Sitrick said of his firm’s goals, which go beyond crisis management. Sitrick pointed out that his firm is known for its crisis management work. He has represented a wide range of clients, including Roy Disney, Don King, Kobe Bryant, Pepsi, McDonalds, Starbucks, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Daniel Pearl Foundation.
In 2021, Business Insider named Sitrick among the 23 Most Powerful Fixers in Public Relations. Sitrick said his company ended a relationship with Harvey Weinstein after a few months and worked with R. Kelly for a short time before he moved to another company.
Sitrick and Company has handled the cases of Hulk Hogan (Terry Bollea) and Steve Austin (Steve Williams) in the past, although he couldn’t recall details of the work they did for the wrestling stars when he spoke to WrestleNomics. While Sitrick does not disclose the cost of his services, a 2019 article in the Columbia Journal Review reported that his studio rate was €1,027.95 ($1,100) per hour. Sitrick said he has also accepted several cases on a “Pro Bono” basis. It is not known what the financial settlement related to McMahon is.
McMahon’s statement in Tuesday’s legal filing takes issue with allegations in Grant’s lawsuit against McMahon, John Laurinaitis and WWE, in which she claims she was the victim of physical and emotional abuse, sexual assault and sex trafficking.
From McMahon’s legal motion filed Tuesday:
Defendant vehemently and categorically denies all allegations of wrongdoing in the Complaint, including Plaintiff’s outrageous claims that Defendant forced her into unwanted sexual acts, sexually assaulted and/or abused her, trafficked her, and he would defecate on her. These are false claims intended for advertising. When the allegations in the complaint are adjudicated in the appropriate forum (arbitration), witnesses will be called to testify under oath and all communications between the parties (including those written by the complainant that she intentionally did not share in her complaint) will be produced, the accusations and claims will be debunked and the plaintiff will be exposed for her false identity.
