The legal battle surrounding the TKO merger is becoming even more intense after new details emerged about deleted Signal messages, Vince McMahon’s communications with Ari Emanuel, and sanctions handed down ahead of next month’s trial.

According to newly surfaced court details, Delaware Court of Chancery Judge J. Travis Laster ruled that several facts tied to Vince McMahon and WWE President Nick Khan will now be presumed true unless the defendants can disprove them with “clear and convincing evidence,” which is a significantly higher legal standard than normally required in civil litigation.

The plaintiffs had also pushed for additional presumptions connected to McMahon allegedly receiving a non-ratable benefit from the TKO merger through his continued power within the company, along with claims Khan knew about McMahon’s Endeavor negotiations in 2022. Those requests were not granted.

One of the biggest revelations involves a voice memo allegedly sent by Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel to McMahon discussing indemnification and legal exposure. The transcription included Emanuel saying:

“I spoke to my lawyer from Latham. Just FYI. Everybody at the DOJ is former Latham lawyers so on that side will be helpful. SEC of course is SEC, but that’s just a penalty. As it relates to everything else, yes we can indemnify you and we will. If it’s criminal of course you can’t stop criminal, but this is not criminal. Call me when you get a chance.”

Emanuel later denied during his deposition that McMahon was ultimately indemnified. The filing also notes that McMahon has not been criminally charged, though investigators were reportedly examining potential financial, securities, and sex trafficking related violations.

Another major focus in the case centers around Signal’s disappearing message settings. Judge Laster’s ruling outlined a timeline showing multiple WWE and Endeavor figures changing auto-delete settings around key corporate and legal developments.

The ruling states that on August 5, 2022, the same day federal prosecutors reportedly requested information regarding McMahon’s alleged misconduct, Nick Khan manually changed Signal settings so messages with McMahon would delete after one hour. The day before, WWE executive Brad Blum reportedly made the same change.

Stephanie McMahon was also mentioned in the filing. After a lunch meeting involving McMahon and Emanuel on August 10, 2022 regarding a possible WWE-Endeavor deal, Stephanie reportedly changed her Signal auto-delete settings to erase messages after one hour as well.

Additional changes reportedly occurred throughout late 2022 and early 2023 as WWE’s sale process intensified. The court filing specifically tracked alterations to Signal settings around meetings with Raine Group banker Jeff Sine, board discussions over McMahon’s return, and WWE’s eventual sale talks.

McMahon’s own deposition testimony regarding Signal also drew attention.

“I was always told about the Signal, and it’s good for business because no one can trace you and so forth. It’s kind of like Proton. You can’t find out much about the call or the text.”

The filing also highlighted a bizarre February 2023 text exchange between McMahon and Khan involving the word “Langis.” After McMahon questioned the meaning, Khan allegedly responded, “Read it backwards!” which spelled “Signal.”

Khan later claimed during his deposition that he had “no idea” why he sent the message, while McMahon similarly distanced himself from the exchange. Judge Laster reportedly described both men’s testimony as “notably strained.”

The sanctions specifically apply to McMahon and Khan rather than the other defendants, which include Paul Levesque, George Barrios, and Michelle Wilson. The ruling does not determine liability ahead of trial, but it does significantly raise the pressure on the defense heading into the June 8 to June 12 proceedings.