Domestic violence lawsuit against former WME agent dismissed

A lawsuit brought by the ex-wife of former WME agent Adam Venit accusing him of domestic abuse was dismissed by a California court this week.

Los Angeles federal court Judge Fernando M. Olguin granted Venit’s September motion to dismiss Trina Venit’s case against him on jurisdictional grounds, according to a ruling posted Tuesday.

Because the couple’s divorce proceeding is ongoing in state court, the judge declined to exercise jurisdiction over the case.

Trina Venit sued the former agent — who filed for divorce in March 2021 — for alleged sexual assault, domestic violence and stalking in June. She contended that the once powerful Hollywood figure “physically, sexually, mentally, emotionally and verbally abused and insistently stalked and monitored,” her during the course of their 20-year marriage.

Attorneys for Adam Venit did not respond to requests for comment.

Attorneys for Trina Venit said she was re-filing her case in state court.

“The court’s decision to abstain from exercising jurisdiction in no way reflects on the merits of the action,” Devin McRae, attorney for Trina Venit, said in a statement. “Although Ms. Venit would have preferred to litigate her claims in federal court where cases move to trial faster and the opportunities for a defendant to manufacture delay and evade the discovery rules is more limited, Ms. Venit is re-filing in state court.”

The dismissal brings to an end another controversial case against the high-profile agent, whose roster of clients once included Adam Sandler.

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Venit resigned from WME in 2018 after he and the company settled a lawsuit with actor Terry Crews, who alleged that the agent groped him at a party in West Hollywood in 2016.

WME investigated the allegation and Venit was placed on a 30-day unpaid suspension and demoted from head of its motion picture department. Venit later apologized to Crews for the incident.