Legal Opposition To Vince McMahon, WWE & TKO Filed As Ring Boy Scandal Continues

Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon, TKO, and WWE are attempting to get a lawsuit thrown out.

On October 23rd, 2024, it was announced that a new lawsuit had been filed against Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon, WWE, and TKO. The suit alleges that those named were complicit in the sexual exploitation of children by former ring announcer and ring crew chief Melvin Phillips Jr.

The suit claims that the boys were “groomed, exploited, and sexually abused” by Phillips.

It’s alleged that McMahon and others were “fully aware” of the abuses suffered by the “ring boys” who often did odd jobs for the company in preparation for shows.

Since then, the defendants have filed motions to dismiss the lawsuit, but in a new update, it’s been confirmed that the plaintiffs have filed their formal opposition.

Vince McMahon’s Legal Challenges Continue

As reported by POST Wrestling, the filing, submitted on July 28 by the plaintiffs, asks that a federal judge in Maryland reject the defendant’s attempts to get the case dismissed. Attorneys for the eight men involved argue that the case has connections to the state.

The group is suing the defendants under Maryland’s Child Victims Act of 2023, which crucially removed the statute of limitations relating to allegations of child sexual abuse.

The plaintiffs are pointing to hundreds of episodes of WWF live events during the relevant years, as well as almost 100 episodes of Tuesday Night Titans taped in the state between 1984 and 1986, as proof of that connection.

However, the defendants argue that, as WWE is based elsewhere, and neither they nor the plaintiffs live in the state, the court in Maryland doesn’t have the authority to rule on the case. If successful, this argument could have a huge knock-on effect, as other states in the Northeast where the alleged abuse also took place would likely have deadlines on such claims. In turn, this would prevent the lawsuit from being filed.

The McMahons, WWE, and TKO also argue that they had no duty of care towards the plaintiffs as they worked for Phillips and were never formally hired by the company. In response, the plaintiffs suggest that even if not formally hired they did work at company events where their safety should have been taken care of. They also claim that the McMahons and WWE knew of Phillips’ behaviour back in the 1970s, but still re-hired him after briefly firing him in the late 80s.

Meanwhile, TKO, WWE’s parent comapny, has questioned whether they should be involved in the suit at all, highlighting that the alleged incidents took place long before the company existed. However, the plaintiffs note that as part of the deal to create TKO, the company assumed WWE’s “legal liabilities.”