Judge rules Dr. Carlon Colker’s lawsuit against Janel Grant’s attorney can continue

A Connecticut judge has ruled that a lawsuit filed by Vince McMahon’s doctor against Janel Grant’s attorney will be allowed to continue. 

Brandon Thurston of Post Wrestling has written a lengthy, detailed story on the latest developments. Ann Callis, the attorney who is representing Grant in her lawsuit, and her law firm, Holland Law. Callis had filed a motion to have Colker’s suit against her dismissed, but Judge Sarah F. Russell ruled on Friday that Colker’s case against Callis will continue. 

“Russell, who is also presiding over Grant’s lawsuit against WWE and Vince McMahon, was unconvinced by arguments from the Callis side that Colker is a public figure,” Thurston writes. “The defendants’ motion to dismiss the case at this phase largely hinged on their argument that the doctor, and his clinic by association, were public figures.”

“Individuals and entities that courts determine are public figures generally face a higher burden of proof in defamation cases,” Thurston continues. “They need to show the defendant acted with ‘actual malice,’ meaning the defendant knew the statement was false or acted with reckless disregard for its truth or falsity. Private figures, on the other hand, generally only need to show that the defendant made a false and damaging statement.”

In October of 2024, Callis said on a press call and in a press release that Colker “violated ethical and medical standards when he injected unknown substances into Janel’s body and directed her to take unlabeled pills while dismissing her basic questions about those drugs.” 

Thurston explains that those comments would be protected had they been made in judicial proceedings. “Callis’ public statements made to the press, outside of a strictly legal setting, don’t benefit from the same protection,” he writes. 

The lawsuit between Grant and McMahon has continued as the judge in the case is determining whether or not the case will go into arbitration.