Vince McMahon is embroiled in another legal battle as WWE shareholders demand he turn over key documents related to the 2023 merger with UFCs parent company, Endeavor.
The shareholders, led by the Laborers District Council and Contractors Pension Fund of Ohio, filed a motion on April 29, 2025, asking the Delaware Court of Chancery to compel McMahon to produce internal communications that include references to Sexual Misconduct Topics.
According to the motion in court documents obtained by WrestleNocmis, plaintiffs want all relevant documents from January 1, 2022, through March 12, 2024, focusing on allegations of sexual misconduct, nondisclosure payments, and internal reactions at WWE. This includes the 2022 WWE Board investigation into allegations involving McMahon and former executive John Laurinaitis.
The plaintiffs argue that these documents are crucial to proving McMahons motivations for forcing his way back onto WWEs board in January 2023 and allegedly pushing for a merger with Endeavor to maintain control despite being under scrutiny. The lawsuit claims McMahon chose Endeavor because other potential buyers were unwilling to keep him in power due to the misconduct allegations.
McMahons legal team has resisted producing certain documents, arguing that only communications directly related to the merger or involving specific high-ranking executives are relevant. Plaintiffs claim this narrow focus improperly excludes key internal messages, including those discussing McMahons decision-making during the fallout from the 2022 investigation and communications with directors he removed from the board.
The motion asserts, Plaintiffs are not seeking to re-litigate the merits of the underlying Sexual Misconduct Allegations or assess the rigor of any investigation. Rather, Plaintiffs are focused on obtaining discovery about how the Sexual Misconduct Topics impacted McMahons motivations and decision-making.
Despite McMahons resistance, both sides agreed to a set of search terms and a discovery protocol. According to the filing, McMahons search produced fewer than 6,000 documents a number the plaintiffs argue is reasonable and manageable for a case of this scale. However, McMahon continues to apply a narrowed responsiveness standard, excluding documents unless they specifically discuss the merger or involve select executives.
McMahon has until May 14 to oppose the motion. Meanwhile, plaintiffs are also seeking confirmation regarding McMahons use of a personal cellphone during the relevant period. They want to include texts with Laurinaitis and Stephanie McMahon in the scope of discovery.
The lawsuit also targets other top WWE executives, including WWE President Nick Khan, Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque, and board members George Barrios and Michelle Wilson. The plaintiffs allege these executives breached their fiduciary duties by not conducting a fair sale process, claiming that Endeavor was not the highest bidder but was chosen to keep McMahon in power.
Financial documents filed by WWE revealed that other offers were made. Strategic Party 1 offered between $95 and $100 per share, valuing WWE at over $7 billion. Another potential buyer, Financial Sponsor 1, made a slightly lower bid, ranging from $90 to $97.50 per share. A third party, Strategic Party 2, made an even lower offer of $76.83 per share, valuing WWE at approximately $5.7 billion. Despite these bids, WWE chose Endeavors all-stock deal that valued the company at just over $9 billion, or $106 per share.
McMahons legal troubles dont end there. He resigned from WWE and TKO in January 2024 after former employee Janel Grant filed a federal lawsuit accusing him of sex trafficking. Grants lawsuit is currently being litigated in Connecticut and involves similar allegations to those mentioned in the Delaware shareholder case.
Additionally, McMahon was previously the subject of a federal criminal investigation related to nondisclosure agreements. His attorney claimed the investigation was dropped, but a federal appeals court ruled in February 2025 that certain communications between McMahon and longtime attorney Jerry McDevitt were not protected by attorney-client privilege, suggesting potential fraud.
If the shareholders lawsuit is successful, it could lead to compensation for those who held WWE stock during the merger period. The plaintiffs claim the WWE boards 2022 investigation into the misconduct allegations was a sham and that McMahon manipulated the process to maintain his power.
What do you think about Vince Mc Mahons refusal to turn over certain documents? Is he hiding something, or is this just a standard legal tactic? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
