Judge sanctions Vince McMahon, Nick Khan over Signal messages in WWE shareholder suit

A judge has sanctioned Vince McMahon and Nick Khan in the shareholder lawsuit over WWE’s 2023 sale to Endeavor, finding they “acted recklessly” by using Signal with auto-delete settings that spoliated evidence. The ruling, issued ahead of a June 8 trial, shifts the burden to the defense to demonstrate key allegations are not true after messages were deleted.

As a result, McMahon and Khan must now show that Ari Emanuel did not promise McMahon a post-merger role or offer indemnification that influenced the deal, that McMahon did not decide to pursue Endeavor before WWE’s strategic review, and that Khan did not coordinate with Emanuel or work with Raine to steer the process away from other bidders. The judge noted others — including Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and former executive Brad Blum — used Signal, while Michelle Wilson and George Barrios did not; WWE and TKO are not defendants, and McMahon resigned from TKO in January 2024. Testimony is expected from McMahon, Khan, Levesque, Emanuel, TKO’s Mark Shapiro and others.

Originally reported by Wrestling Observer: https://www.f4wonline.com/news/wwe/vince-mcmahon-nick-khan-sanctioned-in-wwe-shareholder-lawsuit/.