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Former WWE chairman Vince McMahon's co-defendant, former WWE head of talent relations John Laurinaitis, reportedly reached a confidential settlement with accuser Janel Grant to cooperate and provide evidence against McMahon, according to a filing in U.S. District Court in Connecticut on Wednesday (May 28).
“John Laurinaitis has agreed to cooperate and provide evidence in Janel Grant’s lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE,” attorneys for Grant confirmed in a 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,” the reps added. “Mr. Laurinaitis looks forward to moving on with his life. We cannot provide any additional details at this time.”
McMahon and Laurinaitis were both specifically mentioned in the lawsuit, which alleges "sex trafficking, civil battery, intentional or negligent infliction of emotional distress and negligence." McMahon officially resigned from his position as executive chairman of TKO, a parent company launched by Endeavor following its purchase of WWE in April 2023, in January 2024.
In July 2022, the Wall Street Journal, which exclusively reported WWE's investigation a $3 million hush-money settlement paid by McMahon to a woman over an alleged affair, reported that the 79-year-old paid more than $12 million in hush money to four women during the past 16 years in an effort to suppress allegations of sexual misconduct and infidelity.