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Tag: Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon’s lawyers say criminal investigation into former WWE chairman dropped
According to his lawyers, Vince McMahon is no longer under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan had been investigating McMahon on potential criminal charges stemming from a lawsuit filed in January 2024 by former WWE employee Janel Grant against McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE. The lawsuit alleges sexual assault and trafficking during her time with the company. In June 2024, the DOJ requested a pause in Grant’s lawsuit to allow for a criminal investigation. It resumed in December after a six-month stay.
On Monday, the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling that McMahon’s lawyer was wrong to withhold 208 pages of documents related to the case, rejecting their claim of attorney-client privilege. Barring an appeal to the Supreme Court, McMahon’s legal team will have to turn over the documents to a grand jury.
Today, McMahon’s lawyer, Robert W. Allen, released a statement to the New York Post dismissing the court’s ruling as irrelevant, stating that the documents will not be reviewed as part of a criminal investigation, as the case has been closed.
“This is simply the result of an appeal of a procedural matter that was argued five months ago,” Allen said. “We have been in consistent communication with the government since that time and understand, with no ambiguity, that the investigation has definitively concluded and will not result in charges.”
McMahon reached a settlement with the SEC last month over failing to disclose hush money payments to WWE, which led the company to adjust its financial statements in August 2022. As part of the agreement, he will pay a $400,000 civil penalty and reimburse WWE $1.33 million after being found to have violated the Securities Exchange Act.
While McMahon may no longer be facing criminal prosecution, as stated by his legal team, he still faces ongoing civil litigation related to the allegations. Recently, Grant’s lawyers filed an amended lawsuit, introducing new allegations and evidence against McMahon.
Vince McMahon lawyer wrongly withheld documents, court rules
A federal appeals court has ruled that a former lawyer for Vince McMahon was wrong to withhold documents related to McMahon’s handling of two hush money settlement deals with former WWE employees.
In September 2023, federal prosecutors subpoenaed McMahon’s lawyer, who is unnamed in court documents, along with their law firm, seeking all communications related to the settlements. One of the employees is believed to be Janel Grant, who reached a $3 million agreement with McMahon. Another $7.5 million settlement was made with an unnamed former WWE employee.
While some materials were turned over, McMahon’s lawyer withheld 208 pages of documents, citing attorney-client privilege. Prosecutors sought a court order for their release, and a lower court ruled in their favor.
On Monday, the 2nd U.S. Court of Appeals upheld that ruling, stating the documents were not protected by attorney-client privilege due to the “crime or fraud” exception.
The appellate judges wrote, “Because the settlement agreements resolving the Victims’ claims were ‘structured and negotiated … to keep them hidden from (the Company),’ the district court found that ‘all communications about the claims and settlement agreements were made in furtherance of the criminal scheme to keep (the Company) and its auditors unaware of the allegations.'”
The court found reasonable grounds to believe McMahon and his lawyer “circumvented WWE’s internal controls,” created false records, and misled auditors to keep the settlements hidden. As a result, WWE had to revise its financial statements in August 2022 to account for the previously undisclosed payments.
Unless McMahon’s team appeals to the Supreme Court, they will be required to turn over the documents to the grand jury.
McMahon settled with the SEC last month over the undisclosed payments, agreeing to pay a $400,000 civil penalty and reimburse WWE $1.33 million.
WOR: AEW Grand Slam Australia, lawsuits filed against Vince McMahon
Dave Meltzer and I are back with our Friday episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, talking about all the big news from today’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Here were some of the things we covered:
- Jake Paul used for leverage by Canelo Alvarez
- Dave’s story on the Janel Grant lawsuit
- More on the Ring Boys lawsuit
- Kevin Owens
- AEW Grand Slam Australia
- ROH TV talks
- UFC 312
- Lessons from Dave’s 1984 and 1989 books
Click here to listen (sub needed) or watch on YouTube (video sub needed)
F4D: Lance Storm on Royal Rumble and Janel Grant suit
Figure Four Daily with Bryan Alvarez and Lance Storm is back with tons to talk about including Lance’s thoughts on the two Royal Rumble matches, the new Janel Grant lawsuit and what changes were made to it, and tons more. A fun show as always with Lance, so check it out~!
Subscriber Exclusive: Dave Meltzer on new details from Janel Grant’s amended lawsuit
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Ring boy lawsuit against McMahons, WWE to continue following Maryland Supreme Court ruling
The ring boy lawsuit is moving forward.
On Monday, the Maryland Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that the Child Victims Act, which allowed the lawsuit to be filed, was constitutional. Back in December, Judge James K. Bredar granted WWE’s motion to stay the suit pending the court’s decision.
In October, the law firm DiCello Levitt filed suit on behalf of five survivors of what has been billed as the ‘ring boy scandal’. The lawsuit alleges Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon, and WWE knew and did nothing to prevent ring announcer and head of ring crew Mel Phillips’ sexual assault of underage boys in the 80s and early 90s. Phillips was fired in 1992 after the allegations became public.
“The WWE and McMahons had a responsibility to these underaged boys, and they failed them in the worst way possible. We will vigorously fight to uncover the truth about this systemic, insidious, and life-altering abuse,” said Mark DiCello, a founding partner of DiCello Levitt upon filing the lawsuit. “We commend our clients for their bravery in coming forward and promise to relentlessly seek justice for them.”
The Maryland Child Victims Act was passed by the state’s General Assembly in 2023, which retroactively appeals the statue of limitations on lawsuits dealing with child sexual abuse.
WOR: WWE Royal Rumble review, Drew McIntyre update, latest on Janel Grant lawsuit
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including the revamped Janel Grant lawsuit and what new information has come out, what’s next, what happened with Drew McIntyre at the Royal Rumble, a full recap of the show, WrestleMania, upcoming line-ups, and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start: New allegations in Janel Grant’s amended lawsuit
26:32: WWE Royal Rumble fallout, Drew McIntyre update, Alexa Bliss return
42:21: WWE Royal Rumble recap
1:13:59: Lineups for this coming week, AEW UK ratings, WWE Evolve announced
1:23:09: Quick UFC weekend thoughts, Bryce Mitchell apologizes for Hitler comments
WOL: Unpacking Janel Grant’s amended lawsuit against Vince McMahon
On today’s Wrestling Observer Live, I cover all the new allegations in the amended Janel Grant lawsuit against Vince McMahon.
Not unlike last year, attorneys for Grant released the updated lawsuit against McMahon and WWE during Royal Rumble weekend. The amended suit has more pages than the first and contains new claims that McMahon forced Grant to send “customized pornographic content” to Michael Hayes and others, that he received nude pics during the filming of the Mr. McMahon series on Netflix, and released more texts related to allegations of sex trafficking.
We’ll talk about it all today.
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Janel Grant’s attorneys file motion to amend lawsuit against Vince McMahon, new evidence detailed
Janel Grant has amended her lawsuit against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE.
Attorneys for Grant filed a motion on Friday to amend Grant’s complaint alleging that McMahon both sexually assaulted and sexually trafficked her while she was an employee for WWE, with Laurinaitis becoming a participant all while WWE knew of what was going on.
“Ms. Grant’s amended complaint reveals new details that further demonstrate the sexual abuse Janel Grant suffered at the hands of Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis and pulls back the curtain on the dangerous workplace culture McMahon created at WWE,” Grant attorney Ann Callis said in a statement. “Ms. Grant looks forward to holding her abusers accountable in a court of law.”
The amended suit, which can be read here, includes new text messages, voicemail transcripts, and other new evidence detailing the alleged abuse:
- After not being named in the original lawsuit, Brock Lesnar’s name is now mentioned multiple times, including a part in the suit where it is alleged McMahon offered a sexual encounter with Grant to Lesnar as part of contract negotiations. The suit also alleges that Grant was ordered to send Lesnar sexually explicit content of herself.
- Also, Nick Khan (WWE Corporate Officer No. 1) and Brad Blum (WWE Corporate Officer No. 2)’s names now appear.
- A new paragraph says that Grant did not feel free to quit her job and walk away. “Immersion in the Legal department demonstrated to Ms. Grant the highly reactive, even retaliatory, nature of WWE such that she felt increasingly trapped,” the suit said.
- The lawsuit alleges that while McMahon was openly sharing explicit content of her with others, he also attempted to conceal his behavior by addressing WWE emails referring to Grant as “Thomas Grant.” There are also new text messages that show McMahon telling Grant what other men said they wanted to do to her.
- A new text message from “in or about September 2020” had McMahon allegedly texting Grant to “create customized pornographic content for producer Michael Hayes and his crew.”
- A new claim describes McMahon video calling Laurinaitis and proceededing to record Grant while she was nude without her consent.
- The suit alleges that when Grant moved to Talent Relations, WWE constructed a new custom corner office suite “to Laurinaitis’ taste” that shared a wall with Paul Levesque (Triple H)’s office. The office had an internal door that “connected directly into Laurinaitis’ office,” the suit alleged. Khan and Blum were allegedly involved with the planning of this office.
- The suit now has a transcript of a voice message McMahon left for Grant repeatedly asking her to sign the NDA, at one point saying that “we need to work on this really f***in’ fast otherwise I’m double f***ed.”
- It also acknowledges Jerry McDevitt as the person McMahon referenced to Grant regarding a “high-powered attorney he had on speed dial.”
- According to the suit, Grant agreeing to the NDA was entered “under duress and/or as a result of fraudulent inducement engaged in by McMahon, and the same is void as a matter of law.”
- McMahon allegedly obtained Grant’s nude photos while being filmed for the ‘Mr. McMahon’ documentary that aired on Netflix last year.
McMahon’s attorney Jessica Rosenberg called the amended lawsuit a “publicity stunt” in a statement sent to B.J. Bethel.
“As expected, the proposed amended complaint is nothing more than the latest publicity stunt in an ongoing smear campaign. It is filled with desperate falsehoods from a team that continues to disregard the law and the truth,” the statement said.
After the initial lawsuit was filed last January, McMahon resigned from WWE and TKO. Earlier this month, he reached a settlement with the SEC after violating the Securities Exchange Act for failing to disclose previous settlement agreements to the WWE board.
WOR: Colonel DeBeers, weekend TV, McMahon lawsuit
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including the death of Colonel DeBeers, Vince McMahon lawsuit, Hulk Hogan, Gordon Solie and Andre the Giant anniversaries, Smackdown, SNME and Collision and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start: Death of Col. DeBeers
14:14: Anniversaries of the death of Andre the Giant, birth of Gordon Solie
21:01: Updates on Vince McMahon lawsuit, Omos heading back to WWE following NOAH run
25:27: Bare Knuckle Boxing does big business, GFL draft fallout
34:00: WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event recap
47:33: WWE SmackDown notes
55:09: AEW Collision recap
1:09:45: WWE Raw lineup, why did Hulk Hogan miss SNME?
WOL: McMahon, Graves, Penta, WWE Raw recap
WOR: Vince McMahon legal cases, WWE Raw recap, Penta debut, Corey Graves
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including the latest on all of Vince McMahon’s legal cases, Netflix and MAX streaming details, this Corey Graves story, the end of Bellator, the RAW report, mailbag, and tons of other news. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start: The latest on the Vince McMahon cases
11:00: Commercials on Max, WWE Raw length
22:17: Corey Graves’ tweet, Matt Riddle gone from AAA & signs with MLW
25:43: Ratings
29:17: Bellator as a brand name appears to be dead, Tyson Fury says he’s retired, Holly Holm gone from UFC, UFC 311 still on for LA
37:05: WWE Raw recap
1:00:59: Mailbag
Subscriber exclusive: Dave Meltzer on Vince McMahon’s recent legal developments
Dave Meltzer has some thoughts and insights into Vince McMahon’s latest legal developments including last Friday’s SEC settlement and the Janel Grant lawsuit.
Wrestling Observer Live: WWE SmackDown, NJPW Battle in the Valley preview, Raw is SYNERGY
It’s time for a Saturday edition of Wrestling Observer Live.
We’ll talk Friday’s WWE SmackDown and ask if WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton is a heel that fans cheer or a “mean girl” babyface? Also, the talented Los Garzas finally won a match.
I will also preview tonight’s NJPW Battle in the Valley show.
The biggest star on WWE Raw Monday was Netflix. We’ll talk about “RAW Is SYNERGY!,” Vince McMahon being vague, and a title change in NOAH.
It’s another packed show so check it out.
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