The ongoing legal troubles surrounding Vince McMahon took another strange turn this week, as conflicting reports emerged about the status of a federal investigation into the former WWE Chairman.

Last month, McMahon reached a settlement with the SEC after failing to disclose NDA payments made to Janel Grant—who is currently suing him for sex trafficking and abuse—as well as another unnamed woman. At the time, McMahon seemed to suggest that the federal probe into him had concluded. However, that narrative was cast into doubt when an appellate court ruled that over 200 documents, previously withheld by McMahon’s legal team, must be handed over to a grand jury.

The revelation of this ruling suggested that the investigation was still active. But now, McMahon’s lawyer, Robert W. Allen, is pushing back on that notion. Speaking to the New York Post, Allen stated definitively that the case had been closed.

“This is simply the result of an appeal of a procedural matter that was argued five months ago. 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.”

A separate source familiar with the case also told The Post that federal prosecutors had declined to press charges at some point between September 18 and January 10—the same day McMahon settled with the SEC.

Investigation Over or More to Come?

Despite these statements, there’s still a lingering question: If the case is truly closed, why did the appellate court rule that the documents must be turned over to a grand jury? The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has declined to comment, leaving the situation murky.

For now, McMahon and his legal team maintain that he is in the clear, but with ongoing litigation from Grant and the SEC settlement fresh in the public eye, this saga may not be over just yet.

The legal troubles surrounding Vince McMahon continue to mount as a federal appeals court has ruled that his former attorney improperly withheld key documents from a grand jury investigation. The case revolves around multimillion-dollar settlements McMahon allegedly used to cover up accusations of sexual misconduct by two former WWE employees.

According to the Associated Press, the 2nd U.S. Court of Appeals in New York upheld a previous ruling, determining that the withheld documents were not protected by attorney-client privilege due to an exception for “crime or fraud.”

The Allegations Against McMahon

Federal prosecutors argue that McMahon and his legal team went to great lengths to circumvent WWE’s internal policies and fabricate records to hide the settlements from company auditors. While McMahon reportedly used personal funds for the settlements, the court concluded that his actions—along with those of his attorney—misled WWE’s auditors and failed to properly disclose the financial agreements.

The lawsuit involves two settlements:

• $3 million to one former employee
• $7.5 million to another, who later filed a lawsuit against McMahon

One of the women involved, Janel Grant, claims she was coerced into leaving WWE and signing a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). Her lawsuit argues that the NDA should be invalidated because McMahon failed to pay the full settlement amount.

Court Ruling and the Grand Jury Investigation

McMahon’s lawyer had already provided numerous documents to the grand jury but attempted to withhold 208 communications, citing attorney-client privilege. The appeals court rejected this argument, ordering the documents to be turned over, as they were allegedly part of a scheme to keep WWE and its auditors in the dark.

The court ruling stated:

“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.’”

While the ruling does not explicitly name McMahon, a source confirmed that he is the unnamed former CEO referenced in the case.

What Happens Next?

The current status of the grand jury investigation remains unclear, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan has not provided further comment. McMahon’s representatives have also not responded publicly, though he has denied any wrongdoing in the past.

This ruling comes months after McMahon settled SEC charges, agreeing to pay a $400,000 fine and reimburse WWE $1.3 million for failing to properly disclose the settlement payments.

With the legal walls seemingly closing in, the question now is whether this latest development could lead to criminal charges against the former WWE chairman.

Vince McMahon, the former CEO and long-time face of WWE, has reached a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) following an investigation into undisclosed hush money payments. McMahon agreed to pay a $400,000 civil penalty and reimburse WWE $1.33 million after failing to report settlements tied to allegations against him. The SEC found these actions violated the Securities Exchange Act, leading to material misstatements in WWE’s financial reports.

The payments stem from settlements McMahon made with two former workers in 2019 and 2022:

• One involved a $3 million payment to a former employee in exchange for non-disclosure of their relationship with McMahon and the release of potential claims against him and WWE.
• The second was an agreement with a former independent contractor that also involved non-disclosure of allegations and claims.

The SEC noted that McMahon bypassed WWE’s internal accounting controls, leading to the company overstating its net income by 8% in 2018 and 1.7% in 2021. These omissions resulted in WWE filing inaccurate financial statements, ultimately drawing regulatory scrutiny.

McMahon’s Response Downplays the Findings

Following the SEC’s announcement, McMahon addressed the situation in a post on X (formerly Twitter), characterizing the investigation’s findings as minimal. He wrote:
“The case is closed. Today ends nearly three years of investigation by different governmental agencies. There has been a great deal of speculation about what exactly the government was investigating and what the outcome would be. As today’s resolution shows, much of that speculation was misguided and misleading. In the end, there was never anything more to this than minor accounting errors with regard to some personal payments that I made several years ago while I was CEO of WWE. I’m thrilled that I can now put all this behind me.”

McMahon’s statement seeks to downplay the gravity of the SEC’s findings, referring to them as “minor accounting errors,” despite the financial discrepancies and failure to notify WWE’s board and auditors of the settlements.

Fallout and Reflection

The settlement marks another chapter in a tumultuous year for McMahon, who stepped down as CEO in early 2023, ending his decades-long tenure as the architect of WWE’s rise to global prominence. His departure came amid a swirl of controversy surrounding these payments, as well as additional allegations that surfaced during investigations.

While McMahon’s statement suggests he’s eager to move on, the SEC’s findings highlight significant lapses in corporate governance under his leadership. For WWE, the resolution of the case could allow the company to focus on its future as it continues its creative and business evolution under the leadership of Nick Khan, Triple H (Paul Levesque), and other executives.

Netflix’s “Mr. McMahon” docuseries will become available to watch tomorrow, but according to a new report from Puck, the former WWE CEO attempted to stop its release in the most Vince McMahon way possible. After seeing some early footage from the series, McMahon allegedly reached out to Netflix to attempt to buy back the rights to the show. His attempt was unsuccessful, and Netflix declined to comment in the report. 

McMahon released a statement on the impending documentary, calling it a “deceptive narrative” and claiming that the series conflates his wrestling persona with his real personality. However, McMahon began his statement by saying he did not regret his involvement with the docuseries.

When it was first conceived, the project had the official involvement of both WWE and McMahon. However, things took a turn when McMahon was forced to step down from his role with the company in 2022 after allegations of sexual misconduct and trafficking first became public. Though it’s been awhile since there were any public updates, McMahon is under scrutiny from federal officials, and a civil lawsuit regarding those allegations is currently on hold pending that investigation.

Earlier this week, a report detailed initial reactions to “Mr. McMahon” from people backstage in WWE, with Dave Meltzer stating that there were some McMahon supporters in the company who were not happy. The timing of the documentary’s release is notable, as WWE and Netflix are set to enter a long-term partnership at the beginning of 2025 that will see “WWE Raw” stream live on the platform.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

As Janel Grant’s lawsuit against WWE, Vince McMahon and others continues, McMahon’s counsel has filed a motion to take the matter out of the public court.

According to a new filing, McMahon’s attorneys have cited a section of Grant’s Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) that states any grievances the two parties have should be settled in private arbitration, as opposed to public court. McMahon’s team also categorically denies Grant’s accusations, alleging that she couldn’t have been grieving the death of her parents in 2019, as they died much earlier, and also stating that Grant and her then-fiance’s ability to live in the same building as McMahon without incident, despite the sordid nature of the alleged affair, called Grant’s accusations and description of her relationship with McMahon into question.

According to Wrestlenomics’s Brandon Thurston, Grant’s attorney Ann Callis had the following to say: “Vince McMahon has never known a storyline that he doesn’t twist to fit his own shameful narrative. Her father was in in-home hospice during his final days where Janel continued to care for him around the clock. Prior to his death, she had been caring for her blind, wheelchair-bound mother. Using the grief of someone who lost both of her parents is an all new level of disgusting.”

Grant has accused McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE of sexual harassment, abuse, and sex trafficking during her time as an assistant for McMahon between 2019 and 2022. The suit also mentioned various unnamed “Corporate Officers” as well as a “Former UFC World Champion” who was later revealed to be Brock Lesnar.

Source: Wrestling Inc.