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John Laurinaitis has been dropped as defendant in Janel Grant’s lawsuit against WWE and Vince McMahon and will testify against his former boss. This shocking turn of events is the result of a new court filing submitted by Grant as part of her abuse and trafficking lawsuit on Wednesday.
Former WWE executive John Laurinaitis, who wrestled under the name Johnny Ace, was at one point the stepfather to the Bella Twins, and is the brother of late wrestler Road Warrior Animal. He had been accused by Janel Grant of participating in years of assaults, harassment, trafficking, and abuse while she was an employee of WWE.
“John Laurinaitis has agreed to cooperate and provide evidence in Janel Grant’s lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE,” read a joint statement issued by representatives for Laurinaitis and Grant.
“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.” (The new court filing can be viewed here.)
The statement also dropped the bombshell that “John Laurinaitis has agreed to cooperate and provide evidence in Janel Grant’s lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE.”
Last year, Laurinaitis’ lawyer Edward Brennan claimed to Vice, “Laurinaitis is a victim in this case, not a predator. Power, control, employment supervisory capacity, dictatorial sexual demands with repercussions if not met. Count how many times in the complaint Vince exerts control over both of them.”
Vince McMahon’s attorney Jessica Rosenberg told CNBC in a statement that “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,” Rosenberg continued. “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.’”