Terry Crews Settles Lawsuit With Adam Venit, The Hollywood Agent He Accused Of Groping Him
Terry Crews has settled a lawsuit he filed against Hollywood talent agent Adam Venit, whom the actor accused of sexually assaulting him at a party in 2016, according to USA Today.
The terms of the settlement have not been made public, but it is understood Venit stepping down from his talent agency WME is part of the settlement. WME, in addition to representing Crews himself, has represented Hollywood stalwarts such as Adam Sandler, Eddie Murphy, and Sylvester Stallone. Business Insider reports that Venit will step down on Monday.
Crews posted a one-word message on Twitter after news emerged of him having reached a settlement with Venit.
ACCOUNTABILITY https://t.co/vnAlfAaXzR
— Terry Crews (@terrycrews) September 6, 2018
Terry had launched the lawsuit last December accusing Venit of assault, battery, and sexual harassment. A vocal supporter of the #MeToo movement, Crews first made his story public last year when he revealed he had been harassed at a 2016 party by a “high-level Hollywood executive” without actually naming Venit at the time. The Brooklyn Nine-Nine actor said that he felt insecure about sharing a story where a man had been the victim of harassment, but overwhelming support for Crews convinced him to file a lawsuit against Venit and his talent agency.
According to Crews, he and his wife were attending a party hosted by Adam Sandler in February 2016, where Venit was also present. The lawsuit alleged that the talent agent made lewd gestures at Crews before going on to assault him physically.
“Venit stared at Crews intently, like a rabid dog, sticking his tongue in and out of his mouth provocatively.”
“Venit, upon his first meeting Crews, viciously grabbed Crews’ penis and testicles so hard that it caused Crews immediate pain.”
Adam Venit, the WME agent Terry Crews accused of sexual assault, is leaving the Hollywood agency https://t.co/vuqNOzcFp6
— Vulture (@vulture) September 6, 2018
In the lawsuit, Crews complained that the incident left him scarred psychologically, while also causing him physical discomfort. Crews has previously also alleged that the Los Angeles Police Department threw out his criminal complaint against Venit because of the talent agent’s close relationship with the brass of LAPD.
“Adam Venit has been the Event Chairman of the LAPD Foundation, which raises millions for the @LAPD. Anyone wonder why my assault case against him was thrown out by the D.A.? Yeah, #MeToo.”
Prosecutors had earlier refused to file criminal charges against Venit, arguing that Crews’ allegations did not amount to a felony-level crime. The Los Angeles City District Attorney’s Office tossed out the case citing similar problems with the nature of the accusations.
But the latest settlement, and Venit’s impending resignation from WME, is definitely the vindication that Crews and his fans needed.
