Another Lawsuit Filed Against WWE Over Vince McMahon Allegations
The saga of lawsuits filed against Vince McMahon continues, this time with yet another shareholder filing a complaint on January 26. The investor, Dennis Palkin, is seeking more information regarding the "horrifying allegations" that have been made about McMahon and to remove and bar him from serving on the WWE's Board of Directors.
According to Bloomberg Law, files from WWE have been requested in the litigation for the purposes of investigating claims that McMahon "raped and sexually assaulted employees and contractors over the course of decades," calculating that nearly $15 million was spent in hush payments covering up his tracks.
"There are serious questions about how Vince McMahon obtained and delivered those funds to his victims," according to the complaint made public Tuesday in Delaware's Chancery Court. Additionally, the investor believes McMahon essentially staged a coup in returning to the WWE Board and that the circumstances of his comeback displayed "a flagrant disregard for basic corporate governance norms."
"[Does he think] that the rules do not apply to him? Vince McMahon removed three independent directors and re-appointed himself, as well as two of his longtime cronies," the suit states. "The apparent misconduct here is both myriad and extremely serious."
This lawsuit is unique in the fact that it will be the first time documents from WWE are requested under a Delaware state law giving corporate investors broad inspection rights. But this is just the latest in a long list of accusations that have been made toward McMahon since the summer of 2022. Last July, he announced his retirement from WWE. But that was short-lived, as, by early January, he has reinstated himself back onto the Board with the intent to pursue a sale of the company.