Major Development In Janel Grant Lawsuit Spells Bad News For Vince McMahon

• Laurinaitis settled lawsuit with Grant and will cooperate against McMahon and WWE.
• Laurinaitis's settlement dismissed his case with prejudice, proving cooperation with Grant.
• Laurinaitis's agreement to provide evidence against McMahon is a pivotal step in Grant's case.

In a significant development in the high-profile civil lawsuit against former WWE chairman Vince McMahon, co-defendant John Laurinaitis has reached a confidential settlement with plaintiff Janel Grant and will now cooperate in her case against McMahon and WWE.

As per a report by CNBC.com,

A filing Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Connecticut shows that lawyers for Grant and Laurinaitis agreed to dismiss her lawsuit against as it applies to him with prejudice, which means that it cannot be refiled. “John Laurinaitis has agreed to cooperate and provide evidence in Janel Grant’s lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE,” the reps said in the statement obtained by NBC News.

Laurinaitis, a former wrestler and ex-WWE executive, was originally named alongside McMahon and the company in Grant’s lawsuit alleging years of sexual abuse and sex trafficking. On Wednesday, representatives for Laurinaitis announced he had agreed to provide evidence in support of Grant’s case. In other words, to get the lawsuit against him dropped, McMahon's former WWE confidant is giving information to Grant's lawyers that could hurt McMahon's case.

“John Laurinaitis has agreed to cooperate and provide evidence in Janel Grant’s lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE,” said the statement, obtained by NBC News. “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.”

According to court filings in the U.S. District Court in Connecticut, the lawsuit against Laurinaitis has been dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled. His legal team added that Laurinaitis “looks forward to moving on with his life,” but declined to provide further details.

McMahon's Friends Are Turning To Save Themselves

Essentially, Lauranitis is throwing McMahon under the bus in this case. His cooperation could prove critical in the ongoing civil suit against McMahon, who resigned from his role as executive chairman of TKO Group Holdings — WWE’s parent company — in January 2024 following the original lawsuit’s filing. The more evidence that can be stacked up and used against McMahon, the more Grant can potentially win financially in a civil case.

McMahon continues to face fallout from a range of legal issues. In January 2025, he agreed to settle charges brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which accused him of failing to inform WWE’s board about nondisclosure agreements with two women involving $10.5 million in hush payments.