Vince McMahon's Legal Team Claiming Criminal Investigation Is Over

Vince McMahon's team of lawyers have claimed that the criminal investigation into the former WWE CEO is over.

In a new statement, Vince McMahon's lead attorney Jessica T. Rosenberg said:

"The recent federal investigation resulted in no criminal indictments from the SDNY, while the SEC settlement relates to minor accounting issues at WWE that have nothing to do with this case.  Any claims to the contrary made by Janel Grant’s team are just another desperate PR stunt."

Federal prosecutors opened a criminal investigation into Vince McMahon in 2022 and prosecutors for the Southern District of New York have been investigating allegations of sexual misconduct and sex trafficking against McMahon dating back to the 1980s. Another investigation from the SEC concluded with McMahon being fined $400,000 and ordered to reimburse $1.33 million to WWE.

People close to Vince McMahon have claimed to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer in recent days that the criminal investigation is over and McMahon was told on January 9 that the investigation from the Southern District of New York had been closed. CNBC has also reported that the Department of Justice have ended their criminal probe into McMahon and won't be charging him.

Ann Callis - Janel Grant's attorney - claimed on January 10 that the criminal investigation was still ongoing. Vince McMahon, meanwhile, issued a statement saying the case was closed. The Southern District of New York does not respond to inquiries about the status of investigations.

Even if the criminal investigation into McMahon is over, the former WWE CEO remains a defendant in Janel Grant's civil lawsuit against himself, WWE, and John Laurinaitis. Grant filed a lawsuit in January 2024, within which she accused McMahon of sex trafficking, sexual assault, and physical and emotional abuse.

Janel Grant's team filed a renewed motion for a status conference on January 13, a motion which Vince McMahon's legal representation has opposed. Ann Callis has also filed a request for additional time to submit their amended lawsuit and Vince McMahon's team have responded by submitting another request for the case to be moved to arbitration.

Vince McMahon and WWE resubmitted motions in December for Grant's lawsuit to be moved to arbitration, motions that were supported by John Laurinaitis. The defendants have argued the nondisclosure agreement Grant signed with Vince McMahon in January 2022 states that any disagreements should be resolved in arbitration. Grant claimed in her lawsuit that the NDA was unenforceable, citing the Speak Out Act and the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000.

Vince McMahon is also a defendant in a lawsuit filed by five former WWE ring boys which alleges that McMahon and others were "fully aware" of the alleged sexual abuse carried out by Mel Phillips but they did nothing to prevent or stop it. The ring boys lawsuit has been paused until the Maryland Supreme Court decides on whether the Maryland Child Victims Act is constitutional.