WWE & McMahons' Motion To Dismiss Ring Boys Lawsuit Rejected

A motion filed by WWE, TKO, Vince McMahon, and Linda McMahon to dismiss a lawsuit filed by multiple former WWE ring boys on the grounds that a Maryland law violated the United States Constitution has been rejected.

In a ruling on October 19, Judge James K. Bredar ruled the Maryland Child Victims Act was constitutional as applied to the case. The lawsuit can now move forward to discovery and a teleconference to determine future deadlines is scheduled for November 17.

The ring boy lawsuit has been ongoing since it was first filed in October 2024. The case alleged that WWE, TKO, Vince McMahon and Linda McMahon were aware of sexual abuse carried out by Mel Phillips but did nothing to prevent or stop it. More former ring boys joined the lawsuit in April 2025, with new allegations of sexual abuse against children being made against Mel Phillips, Terry Garvin, Pat Patterson and Koko B. Ware.

In a ruling in December 2025, one of the ring boy plaintiffs was removed from the case due to their alleged abuse occurring in the 1970s, before the lawsuit alleges that WWE had any knowledge about sexual misconduct carried out by Mel Phillips. All seven of the remaining plaintiffs' allegations against WWE, TKO, and Vince McMahon continue to move forward, while Linda McMahon is a defendant in allegations made by two of the former ring boys.

All seven plaintiffs are men who were minors when they were allegedly sexually abused in the 1980s and 1990s while setting up rings or running other errands for WWE (then WWF). Mel Phillips worked under Terry Garvin as part of the ring boys crew.

The defendants have denied the allegations against them and consistently filed to dismiss the lawsuit. An element of those dismissal filings has rested upon whether the Maryland Child Victims Act is constitutional. The act, when passed in 2023, removed the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits involving child sex abuse, including when negligence may have led to abuse. The Maryland Supreme Court ruled in February 2025 that the act was constitutional.

H/T POST Wrestling