Tag: john laurinaitis

John Laurinaitis’ lawyer says his client is a victim of Vince McMahon. 

Laurinaitis, along with WWE and Vince McMahon, was listed as a defendant in the lawsuit filed by Janel Grant last week. He will be represented by lawyer Edward Brennan, who released a statement to Vice media about the case on Thursday. 

“Mr. Laurinaitis denies the allegations in the misguided complaint and will be vigorously defending these charges in Court, not the media,” Brennan said. “Like the Plaintiff, Mr. Laurinaitis is a victim in this case, not a predator. The truth will come out.” 

In response to a follow-up question asking for clarity, Brennan said, ““Read the allegations. Read the Federal Statute. 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.”

Laurinaitis was fired from WWE in August 2022 following allegations in a Wall Street Journal article against him and McMahon. He was replaced in his role as Head of Talent Relations by Bruce Prichard. He had been with the company since 2001. Prior to that, he was briefly the head booker of WCW in 2000, replacing Vince Russo in the role. 

John Laurinaitis is not backstage at SmackDown tonight as Vince McMahon is set to appear on the show following hush money allegations.

Laurinaitis is not at SmackDown tonight in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Dave Meltzer is reporting that he was never scheduled to be there. However, the belief is he will be at Raw this coming Monday. He, along with Vince McMahon, are currently under investigation by WWE’s Board of Directors regarding a $3 million dollar hush money agreement to a former employee who allegedly had a sexual relationship with both McMahon and Laurinaitis.

Additionally, PWInsider reported that McMahon was “joking around” during the production meeting prior to tonight’s show and was said to be in a “great mood” despite the events of the last 48 hours.

McMahon, who earlier on Friday ‘voluntarily stepped back’ as CEO and Chairman of WWE while he is under investigation, has been announced for tonight’s SmackDown. PWInsider reported that the segment involving McMahon tonight was not discussed during pre-show meetings, and was described as “treating it almost as if the segment wasn’t part of the show.”

Despite stepping aside, McMahon will continue to be in charge of WWE’s creative process. Stephanie McMahon has since been named as interim CEO and Chairwoman of WWE. 

WWE’s Board of Directors are investigating a $3 million settlement that Vince McMahon agreed to pay to a former employee who he allegedly had an affair with.

The Wall Street Journal reports that WWE’s Board of Directors has been investigating the settlement since April, and has uncovered other, older nondisclosure agreements involving both McMahon and head of talent relations John Laurinaitis that totaled to millions of dollars. The board learned of the $3 million settlement via anonymous emails received from someone identifying themselves as a friend of the former employee.

The first email, which was sent to the board on March 30, alleges that McMahon initially hired the woman as a paralegal at $100,000 a year, but was later bumped up to $200,000 after McMahon began a sexual relationship with her. The email also alleged that McMahon “gave her like a toy” to Laurinaitis. The settlement, which took place in January of this year bars the former employee, who was hired in 2019, from discussing her relationship with McMahon. The former employee moved from WWE’s legal department to become an assistant to Laurinaitis in 2021.

“My friend was so scared so she quit after Vince McMahon and lawyer Jerry [McDevitt] paid her millions of dollars to shut up,” the email that was sent to WWE’s board stated.

The nondisclosure agreement, which WWE’s Board of Directors received a copy of on June 12, provided an upfront payment of $1 million dollars to the former employee, with the remaining $2 million to be distributed over the next five years.

The report also said that investigators have learned in recent days of other nondisclosure agreements involving McMahon and Laurinaitis. The Wall Street Journal couldn’t confirm how many previous agreements are under investigation.

A WWE spokesman in the report said the company is cooperating fully with the board inquiry and said that the relationship with the ex-paralegal was consensual. WWE later issued an internal statement to staff after The Wall Street Journal’s story was published.

“The Wall Street Journal has published a report about WWE with allegations that we and our Board of Directors take seriously. We are cooperating fully with the independent investigation initiated by our Board of Directors,” WWE’s statement read.

Jerry McDevitt, McMahon’s attorney, told the Wall Street Journal that the employee had made no claims of harassment against McMahon and that “WWE did not pay monies” to the former employee “on her departure.”