This report has been updated to include comments from Vince McMahon’s attorney, Jessica Rosenberg.
A new filing submitted on Wednesday shows that former WWE executive John Laurinaitis has been removed as a defendant in the lawsuit filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant. WWE and its former CEO and Chairman, Vince McMahon, continue to be defendants in the sex trafficking case in U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.
A statement on behalf of both Grant and Laurinaitis states that Laurinaitis has agreed to provide her with evidence related to the case.
“John Laurinaitis has agreed to cooperate and provide evidence in Janel Grant’s lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE,” the statement to POST Wrestling reads. “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.”
We confirmed with Laurinaitis’s attorney, Edward M. Brennan, his support for the statement, which we received from Grant’s representatives.
The dismissal of Laurinaitis was submitted by Grant’s attorneys “with prejudice,” meaning Grant has agreed not to revisit her claims against him.
McMahon’s attorney Jessica Rosenberg pointed to past comments made on behalf of Laurinaitis in which he was supportive of McMahon’s denials of the allegations made by Grant.
“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,” Rosenberg said in a new statement to POST on Wednesday. “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.’”
Before Wednesday’s development, Laurinaitis appeared to be aligned with the defendants in the case. This isn’t the first time he’s switched sides. In February 2024, days after Grant’s lawsuit was filed, his attorney told VICE News Laurinaitis was also a victim of McMahon. Then, in May 2024, Laurinaitis supported McMahon, saying he corroborated that Grant’s claims were unfounded and he would fight her allegations together with McMahon.
Grant’s amended lawsuit was approved by the judge earlier this month, which added several details in the complaint alleging she was sexually assaulted by both McMahon and Laurinaitis. She claims McMahon sex trafficked her throughout her employment with WWE and that the company itself was negligent in the abuse she says occurred.
The defendants are expected to file motions to move the case out of public court and into private arbitration by June 13. Grant will be allowed to request discovery related to the sides’ litigation over whether the arbitration clause that was part of the $3 million nondisclosure agreement will be enforced.
