Linda & Vince McMahon Make Major Move In Ring Boys Lawsuit

Linda and Vince McMahon might be separated, but they’re aligned in tackling the allegations made in the ring boys’ lawsuit.

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 Vince 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.

The defendants have already tried to get the case dismissed, arguing that the case has no connection to Maryland, the state in which the lawsuit was launched.

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.

Linda & Vince McMahon File Separate But Similar Motions

Still, the legal wranglings rumble on, and now Brandon Thurston of Post Wrestling has reported that both Vince McMahon and U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon have asked a federal judge to require the former “ring boys” to litigate under their real names. They have argued that anonymity for them would harm their ability to defend themselves against the allegations as the case moves into discovery.

The plaintiffs have previously filed a motion to continue letting them use “John Doe” pseudonyms as the case progresses.

WWE and TKO have not filed oppositions in line with the McMahons, and are not expected to do so.