3 New Plaintiffs Added To WWE Ring Boys Lawsuit
Three new plaintiffs have come forward in the ongoing “ring boys” lawsuit against WWE, with serious accusations made against Pat Patterson.
Warning: This article contains descriptions of sexual abuse against children.
In October 2024, a lawsuit was filed relating to WWE’s ‘ring boys’ scandal of the 1990s. The DiCello Levitt law firm filed the suit on behalf of a group of former “ring boys” hired by then-ringside announcer and ring crew chief Melvin Phillips Jr. to run errands and complete other tasks in preparation for WWE events.
The suit claimed that the boys were then “groomed, exploited, and sexually abused” by Phillips and alleged that McMahon and others were “fully aware” of the abuses.
In December, WWE filed a motion to pause the ring boys lawsuit until the Maryland Supreme Court made a judgement on the Child Victims Act. The motion was granted by Judge James K. Bredar. In February 2025, more survivors of the scandal came forward, and now three new plaintiffs have been added to the lawsuit.
Post Wrestling reported that an updated lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland expanded on claims of negligence made against Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon, and WWE. This new filing includes details provided from three new plaintiffs referred to as John Does 6,7, and 8.
Pat Patterson Named In Updated WWE Lawsuit
John Doe 6 alleges that he met Phillips in 1988 when he was around 11 or 12 years old. It is alleged that after a WWE house show on July 14 1989, John Doe 6 was told to stay in WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson’s hotel room where he claims Patterson played porn on television and forced Doe 6 to perform oral sex and vice versa.
In a separate allegation, John Doe 6 claims that then-WWE star Koko B. Ware grabbed him by the crotch in front of several witnesses, including Patterson, Phillips, long-time ring announcer Tony Chimel, and referee Danny Davis:
“In front of everyone else in the room, Koko B. Ware told John Doe 6 to get against wall [sic], pushed John Doe 6’s head against wall [sic], patted him down, and then grabbed John Doe 6’s crotch.”
Tony Chimel is said to be the only one who voiced his concern with the lawsuit stating that Chimel “said something like, ‘don’t do that, let him go’” while others in the room laughed.
New potential witnesses are also named in the amended lawsuit, including former Community Relations Director Sue Aitchison. Aitchison was honoured by WWE with the Warrior Award at the 2019 Hall of Fame. Aitchison is said to have been a possible witness to Shane McMahon injuring his arm during an informal wrestling match with a ring boy.
John Doe 7 alleges that he was sexually abused by Mel Phillips while working as a ring boy at various WWE shows, including ones held in Maryland. Maryland introduced a new law in 2023 removing time limits for child sexual abuse victims, meaning there is no statute of limitations on them.
John Doe 8 alleges that me met Phillips when he was around 15 years old in 1982 when he was working at the concessions stand in Baltimore Civic Center. Doe 8 alleges that he was given marijuana at a WWE show, and after another event, he was sexually abused by Phillips in a hotel room alongside another underage boy.
It is also noted in the new filing that the plaintiffs were compensated in WWE for being at shows, whether through cash, food, or lodgings. This is an important point in the case as since they were compensated in some way, then they can argue that the company and its executives owed them a duty of care.