Surprising update on the Vince McMahon lawsuit
Vince McMahon danced with controversy several times over the course of his legendary career. The former WWE Chairman and longtime employee John Laurinaitis were accused of multiple crimes more than one year ago, and there have been several developments. A judge has just signed off on a major event in the matter.
Janel Grant was employed at WWE HQ from 2019 to 2022. She filed a lawsuit in January 2024, accusing McMahon of coercing her into an improper sexual relationship. Vince and Laurinaitis were accused of sex trafficking and assault, but Laurinaitis quickly distanced himself from the WWE co-founder, alleging that McMahon used his own power to control him. A bombshell was dropped last week when Grant's lawyers had Laurinaitis removed from the lawsuit after he agreed to a confidential settlement and to help the case against his former boss.
Judge Sarah F. Russell has officially removed Laurinaitis from the Grant lawsuit, according to PWInsider. Filed in the United States District Court of Connecticut, the order dismisses Laurinaitis from the action with prejudice, meaning the case cannot be filed against the 62-year-old later on.
"Defendant John Laurinaitis is dismissed from this action with prejudice. The court respectfully directs the clerk to terminate Mr. Laurinaitis from the action. Signed by Judge Sarah F. Russell," reads the filing.
John Laurinaitis has been fairly quiet and inactive since the scandal broke last year. His nine-year relationship with Kathy Colace ended last fall as The Bella Twins' mother confirmed the divorce on their podcast. Vince McMahon and WWE are currently working to move Grant's lawsuit to arbitration.
Bryan Danielson on Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis
Bryan Danielson had close relationships with Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis. The former Daniel Bryan of WWE previously defended McMahon in the media and was the son-in-law to Laurinaitis.
Shortly before The Bella Twins' mother, Kathy Colace, confirmed her divorce from Laurinaitis, Danielson discussed the WWE scandal with Gorilla Position and confirmed that his opinion on both men had changed.
"Yeah, it's been... first and foremost, I want to say people that have been hurt are in a way worse position than I am, right? My empathy goes to them. But yeah, it's just... there’s not a lot I want to say about it, honestly... because it’s not just the Vince piece, it's also my father-in-law, and maybe ex-father-in-law, as far as that kind of stuff goes. You think of somebody in some way, then something happens and it changes, right? And that’s always hard, but like I said, as hard as that may be for me emotionally... it’s way worse for people who have been victimized by people in power," Bryan Danielson said. [From 38:26 to 39:28]
Bryan Danielson's remarks on the WWE co-founder were different from previous interviews. Most notably, Danielson had touching comments on Vince McMahon during his post-WWE open letter in The Player's Tribune.
