More details have surfaced regarding the ongoing WWE shareholder lawsuit ahead of next month’s trial date.
According to a new report, Judge Travis Laster has ruled in favor of reporter Brandon Thurston of POST Wrestling in his challenge against several redacted filings connected to the case.
Thurston had been pushing back against the continued confidential treatment of multiple documents tied to the lawsuit. Among the filings in question was reportedly a voicemail sent by Ari Emanuel to former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon prior to the TKO merger agreement.
The lawsuit is currently scheduled to go to trial on June 8 in Delaware Chancery Court. The case alleges that McMahon acted unfairly during the process of selecting a buyer for WWE in an effort to secure his own position within TKO following the merger.
In addition to McMahon, the defendants named in the lawsuit include Paul Levesque, Nick Khan, George Barrios, and Michelle Wilson.
The report noted that Thurston waived his right to have defendants disclose any personal information while continuing to challenge the second and third categories of redacted material.
There was also an argument made claiming that releasing the information could damage professional relationships both inside and outside WWE, potentially harming individuals involved while also weakening stakeholder confidence. However, Judge Laster reportedly did not view those arguments as strong enough to justify continued secrecy.
The court ultimately determined the defendants failed to prove that the potential harm outweighed the public’s interest in disclosure.
“I argued that it is relevant information,” Thurston said on the May 28 episode of ‘Pollock & Thurston’ (see video below). “Not necessarily because I’m trying to unveil who the Wall Street Journal sources are, but because this is relevant information about, perhaps, the factional atmosphere in the board and who certain board members suspected were giving information to the press.”
He mentioned a Wall Street Journal reporter that encouraged him to “go for it.”
“I even messaged [Wall Street Journal reporter] Joe Palazzolo before filing that to make sure he was comfortable,” Thurston added. “And he said, ‘Yes, go for it.'”
