Vince McMahon's co-defendant agrees secret deal to flip on former WWE boss amid sex trafficking lawsuit
John Laurinaitis, WWE's former head of talent relations, was a co-defendant in a lawsuit filed by ex-WWE employee Janel Grant that alleges he and McMahon subjected her to years of sexual abuse and coercion, the New York Post reports.
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The stunning about-face was revealed Wednesday in a joint statement issued by representatives for Laurinaitis and Grant.
'John Laurinaitis has agreed to co-operate 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,' the statement added.
Grant's civil lawsuit, filed in January 2024 in federal court in Connecticut, contains graphic allegations against both McMahon and Laurinaitis, accusing them of grooming, coercing, and sexually abusing her during her time as a paralegal at WWE.
The complaint claims McMahon forced Grant to perform sex acts 'on demand,' to send him nude photographs daily, and to engage in non-consensual sexual encounters — some allegedly orchestrated to benefit WWE business negotiations.
Grant also alleges she was 'passed' to Laurinaitis and that he engaged in similar abuse.
The agreement with Laurinaitis voluntarily dismisses her claims against him 'with prejudice' — meaning the claims cannot be refiled — and likely signals that a confidential settlement was reached, according to former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani.
'[This is] potentially bad news for McMahon,' the legal analyst told The Post.
'What you want to do in any type of case is co-operate 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.'
However, Rahmani noted that it remains unclear what Laurinaitis knows or is prepared to share.
'It's really tough to know until a case proceeds to trial or there's some filing that references co-operation in the statement,' he said.
McMahon — who built the WWE into a multi-billion dollar business before selling it to UFC parent company 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 company TKO Group Holdings.
Jessica Rosenberg, attorney for Vince McMahon, said in a statement: '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 Post reached out to WWE and TKO for comment.
McMahon has previously denied all allegations, with a spokesperson calling the suit 'replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and a vindictive distortion of the truth.'
TKO had said the allegations predate its current executive leadership and that it is reviewing the matter internally.
In the lawsuit, Grant also challenges the validity of a nondisclosure agreement she signed in 2022, under which McMahon agreed to pay her $1 million ($1.56m AUD) upfront and $500,000 ($780,000 AUD) annually through 2026.
She claims McMahon ceased payments and argues the NDA is unenforceable under the federal Speak Out Act.
The civil case poses a serious threat to McMahon's legacy and financial empire, as WWE continues to finalise media deals and expands its global reach under TKO.
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