Vince McMahon and WWE Face New $500 Million Lawsuit Over Alleged Intellectual Property Theft

WWE and Vince McMahon are back in the legal spotlight with a new lawsuit filed by Leland Owens, who claims that WWE used his creative contributions without proper compensation.

The lawsuit, filed on November 4th, accuses McMahon of benefiting from Owens’ ideas under a verbal agreement, with Owens alleging that neither payment nor formal recognition was provided for his work.

The latest lawsuit comes after a previous complaint was dismissed due to incomplete financial documentation. This time, Owens’ claims are more detailed, alleging that WWE executives and agents, including Stephanie McMahon and Daniel Bryan (as named in the suit), were aware of and involved in the alleged intellectual property misappropriation. One of the more sensational claims is that Owens was offered “hush money” to stay silent, which he states was facilitated by Mercedes Moné (formerly Sasha Banks) in a representative role for WWE.

The stakes are high, with Owens seeking $500 million in damages. Such a significant demand underscores the seriousness of his allegations and points to the potential impact this case could have on WWE’s handling of creative partnerships and ideas from external contributors.

So far, WWE has not publicly responded to the lawsuit. However, if Owens’ allegations are substantiated in court, the repercussions could lead to more rigorous policies surrounding creative contributions within WWE and possibly embolden other creators who feel their ideas have been exploited.

The outcome of this case could signal a turning point in how WWE and other major entertainment companies manage intellectual property and relationships with independent creators.