WWE, McMahons must face sex abuse claims by former 'ring boys'
TKO•A federal judge rejected WWE and former executives Vince and Linda McMahon’s bid to dismiss a lawsuit by eight former teenage employees alleging sexual abuse in the 1980s and 1990s. The judge upheld Maryland’s law allowing the decades-old claims to proceed.
1. Judge rejects dismissal bid
U.S. District Judge James Bredar ruled that Maryland’s 2023 law allowing the claims to proceed did not violate the U.S. Constitution or the defendants’ due-process rights. The defendants had argued that the law was impermissibly retroactive and that the passage of time would make it difficult to defend against the allegations.
2. Claims against WWE
The eight anonymous plaintiffs say they were recruited as part-time crew members by ringside announcer Melvin Phillips and were abused by him and two other WWE officials. Phillips and the other alleged abusers died before the 2024 lawsuit was filed. The plaintiffs accuse WWE and the McMahons of negligence and negligent hiring and retention, and seek unspecified damages.
3. Maryland law context
The law eliminated a seven-year statute of limitations for sex abuse claims involving minors. Bredar said it served a legitimate purpose of addressing barriers faced by child sex abuse victims, and wrote that the plaintiffs could present material facts, documents and witnesses. Courts in Maine, Utah and Kentucky have rejected similar laws.
