John Laurinaitis, more subpoenaed as part of WWE shareholder lawsuit
More subpoenas have been filed in the WWE shareholder lawsuit.
The suit alleges that Vince McMahon orchestrated WWE’s 2023 merger with Endeavor to ensure he remained in power, bypassing other potential buyers who likely wouldn’t have kept him in charge, and failing to maximize shareholder value.
Filed in Delaware Chancery Court in November 2023, it was brought on behalf of WWE shareholders, led by the Ohio Laborers’ Pension Fund. The defendants include McMahon, WWE executives Nick Khan and Paul Levesque, and former board members George Barrios and Michelle Wilson. The plaintiffs claim the defendants enabled McMahon’s plan and failed to run a fair sale process.
Wrestlenomics reported on Monday that several new subpoenas have been issued related to the lawsuit. The documents are not currently publicly available.
According to the report, John Laurinaitis was scheduled to be deposed last Friday via Zoom from his attorney’s office. It’s presumed the deposition took place. This follows Janel Grant voluntarily dismissing Laurinaitis from her lawsuit in May, after he agreed to provide evidence in her case against McMahon and WWE.
Liberty Media and the private equity firm KKR are scheduled to be deposed. While not confirmed, both companies are believed to have been potential bidders for WWE in 2023.
McMahon’s personal assistants, Paul and Michael Mangieri, have also been subpoenaed.
The case is currently in the discovery phase, with more depositions expected in the coming weeks.
