Vince McMahon, the founder and former executive chairman of WWE, is facing serious allegations of sexual abuse and trafficking by a former employee, Janel Grant. This has created a major setback for WWE, as plans for WrestleMania 40 were completely changed and WWE also lost the financial support from one of its major sponsors.
There is still no official statement regarding his allegations. However, a Reputed Attorney claims that the case might not go to trial, and McMahon could settle with Grant out of court.
Lawyer claims Vince McMahon might escape trial
In a recent interview with Sportskeeda’s UnSKripted, lawyer Dmitriy Shakhnevich commented on the lawsuit filed against Vince McMahon last week. He mentioned, “So statistically speaking, well over 90% of cases settle. So, if you are just going by the numbers, this will probably settle. Maybe in the settlement agreement, there will be a provision that says that this is being settled but not because there is any wrongdoing but simply because we want to avoid future costs and expenses.”
Shakhnevich clarified that reaching a settlement doesn’t imply McMahon’s guilt. He suggested that the settlement agreement might include a provision stating that McMahon isn’t admitting any wrongdoing but aims to avoid the expenses and complexities of litigation.
Shakhnevich also mentioned that the case became serious due to TKO’s involvement. With the UFC and WWE merger, TKO has been actively investigating the case since the beginning. As a consequence, McMahon resigned from all his positions in the TKO group and withdrew his shares.
Is Vince McMahon in jail after alleged charges?
The lawsuit, filed on January 25, 2024, claims that McMahon coerced Grant into a sexual relationship and trafficked her to other men within and outside the company. The lawsuit also mentions that McMahon and John Laurinaitis, the former head of talent relations, sexually assaulted her at WWE headquarters in June 2021.
In the same interview, lawyer Dmitriy Shakhnevich addressed the possibility of McMahon being sent to prison. He said, “Folks all over are writing about it, about him (Vince McMahon) being sentenced and going to jail and all these other things.”
More on the new sex trafficking lawsuit via The Wall Street Journal:
— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) January 25, 2024
Janel Grant’s lawsuit alleged that she met Vince McMahon in March 2019 & was looking for a job after her parents had died.
McMahon recruited people to have sex with Grant as well, including WWE’s former head… pic.twitter.com/ESA9uOcB4r
He also said, “Could it? Yes. And we don’t know if that process is going anywhere at all, right? What we know now is that he hasn’t been arrested. That’s all we know… The allegations here do kind of sound criminal. And so, is it possible? Sure. We can’t again jump to that conclusion. That will simply be unfair to do,” confirming that McMahon is still not arrested, and it is unfair to draw a conclusion without further investigation.
He also mentioned that while the civil case could potentially transition into a criminal one, it’s not certain at this juncture. The case against McMahon is still developing, and it is unclear whether he will be found guilty or innocent.
