WWE, Hearst in legal battle - Westfair Communications

A simmering feud escalated into legal action after a Hearst Connecticut Media Group newspaper filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission claiming World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. assisted the U.S. Senate campaign of former CEO Linda McMahon.

On Monday, the Manchester Journal Inquirer reported filing the complaint against Stamford-based WWE, ratcheting up a feud dating to February when the newspaper published a column critical of how McMahon amassed her personal fortune.

In May, WWE executive Brian Flinn sent a letter to the Journal Inquirer, stating the column “clearly was intended to state that WWE is a ”˜business of violence, pornography, and general raunch,”™” in Flinn”™s words. Flinn demanded a retraction by June 4, saying WWE would otherwise seek any remedies, including legal action.

“Our broadcast programming is TV-PG and has always appeared on basic cable or broadcast television,” Flinn wrote. “WWE is family entertainment. In fact, 40 percent of the millions of fans who attend our live events bring their children.”