A former WWE govt accused of intercourse trafficking in a bombshell lawsuit involving Vince McMahon reached a confidential settlement — and can now snitch on the professional wrestling mogul, based on legal professionals within the bombshell case.
John Laurinaitis, WWE’s former head of expertise relations, was a co-defendant in a lawsuit filed by ex-WWE worker Janel Grant that alleges he and McMahon subjected her to years of sexual abuse and coercion.
The gorgeous about-face was revealed Wednesday in a joint assertion issued by representatives for Laurinaitis and Grant.
“John Laurinaitis has agreed to cooperate and provide evidence in Janel Grant’s lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE,” the assertion stated.
“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,” the assertion added.
Grant’s civil lawsuit, filed in January 2024 in federal courtroom in Connecticut, incorporates graphic allegations in opposition to each McMahon and Laurinaitis, accusing them of grooming, coercing, and sexually abusing her throughout her time as a paralegal at WWE.
The grievance claims McMahon compelled Grant to carry out intercourse acts “on demand,” to ship him nude pictures each day, and to have interaction in non-consensual sexual encounters — some allegedly orchestrated to profit WWE enterprise negotiations.
Grant additionally alleges she was “passed” to Laurinaitis and that he engaged in related abuse.
The settlement with Laurinaitis voluntarily dismisses her claims in opposition to him “with prejudice” — that means the claims can’t be refiled — and sure indicators {that a} confidential settlement was reached, based on former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani.
“[This is] potentially bad news for McMahon,” the authorized analyst advised The Publish.
“What you want to do in any type of case is cooperate your less culpable defendant against your main target. You want people to testify against your main defendant — whether it’s Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs or, in this case, Vince McMahon.”
Nevertheless, Rahmani famous that it stays unclear what Laurinaitis is aware of or is ready to share.
“It’s really tough to know until a case proceeds to trial or there’s some filing that references cooperation in the statement,” he stated.
McMahon — who constructed the WWE right into a multi-billion greenback enterprise earlier than promoting it to UFC dad or mum firm Endeavor Group Holdings in 2023 — stepped down from overseeing day-to-day operations shortly after the lawsuit was filed. Endeavor merged UFC and WWE into the publicly traded firm TKO Group Holdings.
Jessica Rosenberg, legal professional for Vince McMahon, stated in an announcement: “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.’”
The Publish reached out to WWE and TKO for remark.
McMahon has beforehand denied all allegations, with a spokesperson calling the swimsuit “replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and a vindictive distortion of the truth.”
TKO had stated the allegations predate its present govt management and that it’s reviewing the matter internally.
Within the lawsuit, Grant additionally challenges the validity of a nondisclosure settlement she signed in 2022, underneath which McMahon agreed to pay her $1 million upfront and $500,000 yearly by 2026.
She claims McMahon ceased funds and argues the NDA is unenforceable underneath the federal Converse Out Act.
The civil case poses a severe menace to McMahon’s legacy and monetary empire, as WWE continues to finalize media offers and expands its international attain underneath TKO.
