Terry Crews’ sexual assault lawsuit against Hollywood agent Adam Venit and William Morris Endeavor ended in a September 2018 settlement that forced Venit to resign from WME, barred the agency from ever rehiring him, required WME to pay $375,000 toward Crews’ legal fees, and committed the firm to new policies on sexual assault and battery. Crews had filed the civil suit on December 5, 2017, over a February 2016 incident at a Hollywood party, after prosecutors declined to bring criminal charges.
What Crews Said Happened at the Party
The incident took place in February 2016 at a Hollywood party hosted by Adam Sandler. Crews alleged that Venit, then head of WME’s motion picture department, approached him, made provocative gestures with his tongue, and grabbed his genitals, “squeezing so hard that he leapt back in pain.”1Variety. Terry Crews Sues Agent Adam Venit for Sexual Assault His wife, Rebecca King-Crews, was there and saw it.2ABC News. Terry Crews Names Alleged Sexual Assaulter
Crews pushed Venit away rather than escalating. He later told a Senate committee that as a large Black man he feared what a physical response might cost him, pointing to young Black men “provoked into violence” who ended up in prison or dead.3Roll Call. Terry Crews Gets Emotional on Why He Couldn’t Stop His Abuser Venit called the next day to apologize but, according to Crews, “never really explained why he did what he did.”2ABC News. Terry Crews Names Alleged Sexual Assaulter Crews reported the incident to his own WME agent, Brad Slater, about 28 hours later.1Variety. Terry Crews Sues Agent Adam Venit for Sexual Assault
Why There Was No Criminal Case
Crews filed a police report with the LAPD on November 8, 2017.4NBC News. Actor Terry Crews Goes to LAPD With Sexual Assault Claim5NY Daily News. Terry Crews Sexual Assault Case Rejected Due to Statute of Limitations6ABC News. Authorities Reject Terry Crews Sexual Assault Case Civil court was the only path left.
What the Lawsuit Alleged
Crews sued Venit and WME on December 5, 2017 for assault, sexual battery, emotional distress, and negligence. The complaint went beyond Venit personally, arguing that WME “condoned, ratified, and encouraged” the behavior by failing to punish him meaningfully, and that agency executives retaliated against Crews after he raised the issue.7BBC News. Terry Crews Files Sexual Assault Lawsuit8CBS News. Terry Crews Sues WME Agent for Groping Incident
The suit described a meeting between Crews and WME co-CEO Ari Emanuel in which Emanuel allegedly said Venit “couldn’t hurt his career because he lacked the power,” despite his title, and initially proposed only a 30-day unpaid suspension, a loss of title, and treatment.9Deadline. Terry Crews Sues Agent Adam Venit for Sexual Assault10The Hollywood Reporter. Adam Venit Exiting WME11Deadline. Terry Crews Adam Venit Apology Letter Crews fired WME as his agency on November 9, 2017.2ABC News. Terry Crews Names Alleged Sexual Assaulter
In a January 2018 court filing, Venit denied Crews’ allegations, saying any physical contact “was not sexual in nature.” WME separately said it had acted “decisively” once informed and that senior leadership had no knowledge of the incident until Crews went public.12Vanity Fair. Terry Crews Adam Venit WME Lawsuit Settlement
Retaliation Claims Crews Raised During the Case
In December 2017 tweets, Crews said WME was tracking his family, that his home might have been bugged, and that his computer had been hacked. He also alleged WME’s general counsel raised his wife’s name to his former attorney, and that TMZ edited out his on-camera comments about the outlet’s ties to Hollywood agencies.13IndieWire. Terry Crews Accuses WME of Hacking and Spying14Yahoo Entertainment. Terry Crews Accuses WME of Hacking
In November 2017 he posted an email from music mogul Russell Simmons asking him to “give the agent a pass” and to support Venit’s reinstatement. Crews rejected it publicly: “No one gets a pass.” He later said he believed WME executives had enlisted Simmons, though no independent corroboration was reported.15Business Insider. Terry Crews Called Out Russell Simmons13IndieWire. Terry Crews Accuses WME of Hacking and Spying
The professional cost reached beyond WME. In his June 2018 Senate testimony, Crews said Expendables producer Avi Lerner had told his manager that Crews could only return for the fourth film if he dropped the lawsuit, warning of “troubles” if he refused. Crews did not appear in the sequel. Lerner and Millennium Films did not publicly respond at the time.16Deadline. Terry Crews Senate Testimony on Sexual Assault17NBC DFW. Terry Crews Says Expendables Producer Threatened Trouble
How the Case Settled
On September 6, 2018, the parties announced a settlement and dismissal.18The Washington Post. Actor Terry Crews Settles His Lawsuit According to Vanity Fair, the terms required:
- Venit’s resignation from WME, with a provision barring the agency from ever rehiring him.
- $375,000 from WME toward Crews’ legal fees.
- New WME conduct policies on sexual assault and battery, including mandatory reporting of allegations to the firm’s legal and human resources leadership, annual training for all employees, and review of the policy by an outside attorney with no prior ties to the firm.
Ahead of the settlement, Venit had sent Crews an apology letter in March 2018 writing, “I take responsibility for us being here now, together in this situation. I am sorry for all of it.” He attributed his conduct to “fear, stress, and insecurity” and asked forgiveness.12Vanity Fair. Terry Crews Adam Venit WME Lawsuit Settlement Crews responded to news of the settlement on Twitter with one word: “ACCOUNTABILITY.”18The Washington Post. Actor Terry Crews Settles His Lawsuit
Senate Testimony and Aftermath
On June 26, 2018, while the case was still pending, Crews testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in support of the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights, which would among other things ensure government-funded forensic examinations, mandate preservation of rape kits for 20 years or the full statute of limitations, and guarantee survivors access to police reports and counseling.19CNN. Terry Crews Testifies on Sexual Assault Before Senate20U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. Terry Crews Written Testimony He told the committee, “The assault lasted only minutes, but what he was effectively telling me while he held my genitals in his hand was that he held the power. That he was in control.”21Time. Terry Crews Testified About Sexual Assault Before Senate Committee
After leaving WME in September 2018, Venit moved into producing and investing and is associated with 890 Fifth Avenue Partners, a firm involved in film, television, tech, media, healthcare, and real estate.22890 Fifth Avenue Partners. Adam Venit