Judge rejects WWE bid to dismiss ring boy abuse lawsuit
Reuters reported that on Oct. 20, in Baltimore, a federal judge denied a motion from World Wrestling Entertainment and former executives Vince and Linda McMahon to throw out a lawsuit holding them accountable for years of reported sexual abuse endured by teenage ring boys during the 1980s and 1990s.
Judge Rejects Constitutional Challenges to Maryland Child Victims Act
U.S. District Judge James Bredar in Baltimore on Monday rejected claims that a 2023 Maryland law allowing the plaintiffs to sue over decades-old allegations violated the U.S. Constitution and the defendants’ right to due process, according to Reuters. Inside Higher Ed pointed out that the defense maintained the Maryland Child Victims Act breached the due process clause of the 14th Amendment by reviving claims that pose significant defense challenges, alongside violating the Constitution’s prohibition against ex post facto laws through the imposition of retroactive penalties. Bredar rejected both arguments, ruling that the law is constitutional as applied to the case.
As covered by Reuters, the lawsuit was filed by eight anonymous plaintiffs—a number that was reduced to seven in December 2025—who claim they were brought in by ringside announcer Melvin Phillips to serve as part-time crew members and faced abuse from him and others at WWE, which was known as WWF at the time. All seven plaintiffs allege abuse by Phillips, while one alleges abuse by former executive Pat Patterson and another alleges sexual harassment against former executive Terry Garvin. Phillips, Patterson, and Garvin all died years before the lawsuit was filed.
WWE Defendants Argue Stale Evidence Hinders Defense
The plaintiffs accused WWE, TKO Group Holdings, Vince McMahon, and Linda McMahon of negligence, seeking unspecified damages. The defendants argued that forcing them to go forward with the case was a violation of their due process rights because evidence is stale, memories are frail, and witnesses, including Vince McMahon’s father Vincent J. McMahon, have died. Bredar acknowledged those difficulties in his ruling.
“And it may be hard for Defendants to muster an effective defense where evidence is stale, memories are frail, and witnesses are deceased,” Bredar wrote. “But the Court’s role here is to interpret the United States Constitution and to resolve disputes that arise under it.” Bredar added that the law served a legitimate purpose of addressing the barriers child sex abuse victims face in court, writing that the law was altered in a rational way in response to a pressing issue.
Greg Gutzler, a lawyer for the plaintiffs with the firm DiCello Levitt, welcomed the decision. “Trauma does not follow a legal deadline, and Maryland’s Child Victims Act recognizes that reality,” Gutzler said in a statement reported by Reuters. “This ruling is a significant victory for our clients and for other survivors of childhood sexual abuse who have waited years for the opportunity to seek justice.”
Discovery Phase Precedes Potential 2027 Trial
Future dates for the litigation are expected to be known following a conference scheduled for Nov. 17, according to The Center Square. The discovery phase represents the next round of the proceedings, with a potential trial unlikely to occur before 2027, The Center Square reported. Inside Higher Ed noted that the upcoming litigation schedule could include deposing Linda McMahon, the current U.S. Secretary of Education who led the wrestling company alongside her husband from 1980 until stepping down in 2009, to determine what she knew during her time as a WWE executive.
Lawyers for WWE, Vince McMahon, and Linda McMahon did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday, according to Reuters. Laura Brevetti, an attorney for Linda McMahon, has previously stated that the civil litigation is baseless and without truth, noting it was probed by the FBI years ago with no findings to pursue prosecution, The Center Square reported.
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