John Laurinaitis Agrees To Provide Evidence In Janel Grant Lawsuit vs. WWE, Vince McMahon (WWE News)
John Laurinaitis will provide evidence against Vince McMahon.
In a somewhat surprising move, John Laurinaitis has been removed as a defendant in the sexual abuse and trafficking lawsuit filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant, with Laurinaitis having agreed to provide evidence to Ms. Grant in her case against Vince McMahon and WWE. Wrestlenomics' Brandon Thurston was the first to cover this news, complete with a write-up over at POST Wrestling.
On this matter, the below statement was released to POST on behalf of both Grant and Laurinaitis:
“John Laurinaitis has agreed to cooperate and provide evidence in Janel Grant’s lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE. His agreement to a confidential settlement is a pivotal next step toward holding McMahon and WWE accountable and bringing justice to Ms. Grant after years of sexual abuse and trafficking. Mr. Laurinaitis looks forward to moving on with his life. We cannot provide any additional details at this time.”
Previously, former WWE executive Laurinaitis was named alongside Vince McMahon and WWE in Ms. Grant's lawsuit. The removal of Laurinaitis was submitted "with prejudice", which means Janel Grant has agreed not to revisit any claims against him.
In regards to this latest development, McMahon's attorney, Jessica Rosenberg, pointed to earlier comments from Laurinaitis and his representatives showing support for Vince McMahon's denial of the allegations brought against him by Janel Grant, releasing their own statement to POST Wrestling:
“Today’s dismissal of John Laurinaitis as a defendant doesn’t alter the facts of this case in any way. Vince McMahon never mistreated Janel Grant. No matter how many press releases her team issues, the truth remains unchanged. As Mr. Laurinaitis’s lawyer previously said: ‘Mr. Laurinaitis corroborates Mr. McMahon in publicly declaring that Ms. Grant’s allegations of sexual abuse and coercion in her Complaint are completely unfounded.’”
Upon being named as a defendant when the lawsuit was launched in January 2024, John Laurinaitis's attorney initially claimed that his client was also a victim of Vince McMahon. By May of that year, Laurinaitis fully supported McMahon, saying he'd fight Ms. Grant's allegations alongside McMahon. As such, this change in stance from Laurinaitis is a major development in this suit.
The next step for this lawsuit is the expectation that the defendants - as in, Vince McMahon and WWE - will file motions to move the case into private arbitration on June 13. From there, Janel Grant will be allowed to request discovery on whether the arbitration clause will be enforced for her original $3 million nondiscolosure agreement.