WWE Facing Lawsuit Over Vince McMahon's Return

WWE are facing a lawsuit over Vince McMahon's return, Bloomberg have reported.

An investor sued WWE on January 26 as they look to ban Vince McMahon from the company's Board of Directors and gain access to internal WWE files to investigate allegations that McMahon "raped and sexually assaulted employees and contractors over the course of decades" and then paid money to women to cover up the allegations. 

The lawsuit further states: "There are serious questions about how Vince McMahon obtained and delivered those funds to his victims."

McMahon's return to WWE was also called "a flagrant disregard for basic corporate governance norms."

Three lawsuits have already been filed against Vince McMahon since his return to WWE. Two of those claims are now seeking a "mootness fee" after McMahon rescinded company bylaw changes. 

Vince McMahon returned to WWE in early January by electing himself, George Barrios, and Michelle Wilson to the Board of Directors. This led to the removal of three directors, while two others resigned. Vince was then elected as Executive Chairman, which was announced on January 10 at the same time his daughter Stephanie McMahon resigned from the organisation.

Vince McMahon has since returned to WWE HQ as he pursues a sale of the company. Should that pursuit fail, McMahon will be involved in talks in the next round of media rights negotiations. 

The 77-year-old resigned as WWE Chairman and CEO in July 2022 amidst a hush money and sexual misconduct scandal. It emerged that McMahon had paid millions of dollars to cover up allegations of sexual misconduct and infidelity between 2006 and 2022, payments which were not declared in the company's accounts. This led to the SEC and federal prosecutors opening investigations into those payments and money transfers to the Donald Trump Foundation. Those investigations were still ongoing as of last word.