Adam Venit filed his response to Terry Crews‘ sexual assault lawsuit, Us Weekly can confirm. The response comes after the actor alleged that the William Morris Endeavor agent grabbed his genitals in the middle of a party in 2016.
In the new legal documents obtained by Us on Friday, February 2, Venit issued a general denial and said it was all a case of no harm, no foul. According to the papers, the Hollywood agent also said the Brooklyn Nine-Nine star, 49, can’t win the lawsuit because he didn’t suffer any injury and that none of his conduct was sexual.
Sources connected to Venit said that the executive had too much to drink during the 2016 event and claimed that the groping was horseplay, for which he apologized to the White Chicks star the next day.
WME also responded to the lawsuit earlier this week, saying that the company reacted “both swift and serious[ly],” to the TV star’s claims even though the company claims the actor didn’t make any mention “of the incident to anyone at WME for nearly 18 months — during which time he remained a WME client.”
Stars at Court Opens a New Window.
The Where’s the Money? actor filed a lawsuit against the WME employee in Los Angeles Superior Court last December. In the documents obtained by Us Weekly, Crews was seeking monetary and punitive damages for assault, battery, sexual battery, sexual harassment, gender violence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Crews stated in the lawsuit that Venit stared at him “like a rabid dog, sticking his tongue in and out of his mouth provocatively,” and after the alleged assault he pushed the agent away and yelled to fellow actor Adam Sandler: “Adam, come get your boy! He’s grabbing my nuts!”
The Everybody Hates Chris alum also claimed that Sandler, 51, called to ask if he was OK after the event, to which he responded saying that he was surprised that he was molested at the age of 48. The actor came forward about his experience in a slew of tweets last October. “This whole thing with Harvey Weinstein is giving me PTSD. Why? Because this kind of thing happened to me,” he tweeted at the time.
“I understand and empathize with those who have remained silent. But Harvey Weinstein is not the only perpetrator,” The Expendables star added. “Hollywood is not the only business where this happens, and to the casualties of this behavior — you are not alone. Hopefully, me coming forward with my story will deter a predator and encourage someone who feels hopeless.”
Crews alleged that Venit was the accused Hollywood executive during a November interview with Michael Strahan. He stated that being a victim of sexual harassment is like “you’re a prisoner of war,” adding, “I have never felt more emasculated, more objectified.”
Venit was given a one-month suspension without pay and returned to work on November 27. Crews then expressed his disgust on Twitter, writing: “SOMEONE GOT A PASS.”
