John Laurinaitis, the former World Wrestling Entertainment Head of Talent Relations, agreed to cooperate with attorneys for Janel Grant in her federal civil suit against Vince McMahon and WWE, according to a statement from attorneys on Wednesday.
In a filing on Wednesday morning, attorneys for Grant filed a stipulation of dismissal against Laurinaitis in the case, dropping him as a defendant “with prejudice.”
A statement from representatives for Grant and Laurinaitis said he agreed to a confidential settlement with Grant.
“John Laurinaitis has agreed to cooperate and provide evidence in Janel Grant’s lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE,” the statement said. “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.”
Laurinaitis was fired by WWE around the time Grant filed her lawsuit. Laurinaitis originally claimed he was a sex assault victim of McMahon when the complaint was originally filed in Connecticut federal court in January 2024. Laurinaitis later recanted and began cooperating with other defendants in the case, McMahon and WWE.
In a statement to SEScoops, Jessica T. Rosenberg, an attorney for Vince McMahon, provided a statement on Laurinaitis being dismissed from the suit.
“Today’s dismissal of John Laurinaitis as a defendant doesn’t alter the facts of this case in any way,” Rosenberg said. “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.’”
Representatives for Grant had no comment on whether Laurinaitis’s cooperation in the case had been communicated to federal prosecutors. According to a Wall Street Journal article last year, federal prosecutors were investigating McMahon for sex trafficking and sex assault and had taken his phone as evidence for a grand jury.
Representatives for McMahon said the federal criminal case ended in January when they announced McMahon had settled his case with the Securities and Exchange Commission for undisclosed million dollar settlements. Grant’s settlement was one of those McMahon paid fined for not disclosing.
At the time, reps for Grant said they had never heard from the Department of Justice or investigators that the case against McMahon had been closed. A federal ruling over evidence submitted by McMahon and his attorney Jerry McDevitt earlier this year said the case was still ongoing.
Prior to Laurinaitis settlement and agreement with Grant, defendants in the case were expected to file a motion to compel arbitration in the case. Defendants have until June 13 to file the motion.