WWE Ordered To Produce DOJ, SEC Records As Part Of Merger Lawsuit

Judge Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster of the Delaware Court of Chancery has ordered WWE directors and officers sued over the TKO merger to turn over documents related to federal investigations into Vince McMahon’s conduct.

Brandon Thurston at POST Wrestling reports WWE executives and TKO must produce documents and communications previously provided by them or their agents to the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission during those investigations. Those investigations followed the revelation of multimillion-dollar nondisclosure agreements McMahon signed with women formerly employed by the company that came to light in 2022.

From Judge Laster:

Oral argument is not required. The relevance of the investigations to McMahon’s motivations is obvious. The exus not only exists but is tight and direct. The claim that documents have been produced appears strained. The claim that the request came too late has been disproven. The requests are neither disproportionate nor overly burdensome. Control over documents encompasses documents in the possession, custody, or control of agents. If agents made some of the communications, or if agents currently possess or control access to them, then the defendants must collect and produce those communications, in addition to the communications they themselves possess.

The lawsuit, which was filed in 2023, alleges that McMahon predetermined the transaction with Endeavor to secure his continued role at the company in light of the sexual misconduct scandal surrounding him, rather than shopping WWE to maximize shareholder value.

WWE defendants include Nick Khan, Paul Levesque (Triple H), and former WWE executives George Barrios and Michelle Wilson.

The lawsuit is currently scheduled to go to trial in June 2026.