Vince McMahon sex trafficking trial suspended by accuser Janel Grant after government involvement

There's a twist in Vince McMahon's sex trafficking trial. Janel Grant, the former WWE employee who filed a lawsuit against the former WWE boss, and his sidekick, John Laurinaitis, have agreed to stay the lawsuit for six months at the request of the Justice Department .

The break does not mean that Vince McMahon is exonerated from the allegations mentioned in the lawsuit, but it does mean that the feds will now conduct their own investigation into the matter.

What did Janel Grant's legal team say?

In a statement to the New York Post, Janel Grant's lawyer, Ann Callis, confirmed that her client had agreed to stay the case against Vince McMahon. “Ms. Grant has consented to a request from the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York to stay her case against Mr. McMahon, WWE and Mr. Laurinaitis, pursuant to an ongoing non-public investigation. We will cooperate with all appropriate next steps “, she wrote.

In contrast, Vince McMahon's legal team denied the trafficking allegations. In a statement to the New York Post, McMahon's legal team said it was confident the evidence would prove Ms Grant's allegations false.

“We remain confident that the evidence will prove that Ms. Grant's allegations are false and that her complaint is nothing more than a fabricated and vindictive account from a disgruntled former girlfriend,” McMahon's lawyer said, Jessica Rosenberg, at the New York Post.

A court filing released Thursday also revealed that Sarah Mortazavi, an assistant U.S. attorney based in Manhattan, had joined the federal investigation against Vince McMahon.

Briefly about the sex trafficking trial

Janel Grant, who worked in WWE from March 2019 to 2022, has filed an explosive lawsuit against Vince McMahon, accusing the wrestling mogul of sexually trafficking her to other men in the company.

Grant accused McMahon of sexually assaulting her multiple times on WWE premises and also sending her to the hotel room of her man, John Laurinaitis, on multiple occasions. Grant alleged that McMahon used her as a sex object to conduct his deals. However, McMahon, in his defense, alleged that Grant had a relationship with him during their physical encounters.

He had, through his lawyer, argued to the court that Janel Grant had willingly participated in the sexual relationship with him. He said Grant would sneak into his penthouse late at night before returning to her home in the same building.

McMahon also alleged that Grant wrote him several love letters and was also planning a future with him. The trial brought enormous shame to the former WWE Chairman, who not only had to resign as Executive Chairman of the TKO Group, but he also had to disappear from WWE shows completely, to avoid backlash on the product.

Read also: Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan Named Key Figures in Vince McMahon Sex Trafficking Trial; Details inside