A federal judge has ruled that a defamation lawsuit tied to the ongoing legal battle involving former WWE employee Janel Grant will move forward.
On Friday, Judge Sarah F. Russell denied a motion to dismiss a defamation case filed by Dr. Carlon Colker against Ann Callis, one of the attorneys representing Grant. The decision means the lawsuit will proceed to the next phase instead of being thrown out early.
Russell is also the judge overseeing Grant’s high-profile lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE, which alleges that Grant was sexually assaulted and sex trafficked by McMahon. McMahon has denied those allegations.
The defamation case centers on statements Callis made in October 2024 during a press call and in a press release. In those comments, Callis accused Colker of violating medical and ethical standards during Grant’s treatment at his clinic, Peak Wellness.
Colker has strongly denied those accusations and filed the lawsuit against Callis and her law firm, Holland Law.
A key argument in the motion to dismiss was whether Colker could be considered a public figure. If the court determined that he was, he would face a much higher legal standard to prove defamation. Public figures must show that the defendant acted with “actual malice,” meaning they knew statements were false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth.
Judge Russell rejected that argument at this stage. The ruling found that Colker is not a general-purpose public figure, and while he may be known in the field of alternative medicine, the statements involved in the case do not relate to that broader public debate.
Instead, the judge determined that the comments focused on a narrower and more private issue — Colker’s treatment of Grant between 2019 and 2022. Because of that distinction, the higher legal standard for public figures does not currently apply. The judge did note that Callis and her legal team could attempt to raise the public-figure argument again later in the case.
The dispute is connected to another legal proceeding involving Grant’s attempt to obtain her medical records from Colker’s clinic. Statements made within that legal filing are protected by litigation privilege, which generally shields lawyers from defamation claims related to statements made during court proceedings.
However, Russell ruled that Callis’s comments to the media fall outside that protection, allowing Colker’s lawsuit to continue. With the motion to dismiss denied, the case will now likely move into the discovery phase. Callis is expected to formally respond to the lawsuit by April 6.
The case is being handled in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, where Judge Russell is currently presiding over three separate legal matters connected to WWE, including Grant’s lawsuit against McMahon and WWE.
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