WWE, TKO, Vince McMahon, and Linda McMahon just suffered a major legal defeat. On Monday, a federal judge rejected their effort to throw out the long-running ring boy lawsuit, ruling that the Maryland law the case was brought under is constitutional.
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U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar ruled that the Maryland Child Victims Act of 2023 is constitutional as applied to the case. The defendants had argued the law violates both the U.S. Constitution and the Maryland Constitution. With the challenge denied, the lawsuit may now move forward toward the discovery phase.
What the Case Is About
The plaintiffs allege abuse by former ring announcer Mel Phillips — who died in 2012 — during their work as minors for the then-World Wrestling Federation between the 1970s and early 1990s. WWE, TKO, and the McMahons are being accused of negligence for allegedly failing to protect them.
The suit was originally filed in October 2024, and Brandon Thurston of POST Wrestling first reported the judge’s ruling. Earlier this year, the Maryland Supreme Court upheld the Child Victims Act, which eliminates the statute of limitations for negligence claims brought by child abuse victims — the legal backbone that makes this case possible.
What Comes Next
A teleconference is set for November 17 to set future deadlines, including the discovery schedule. The case is expected to enter one of its most intensive phases as both sides begin exchanging evidence.
The denial of the dismissal motion keeps the pressure squarely on WWE and the McMahons. Two years after the lawsuit was filed, the ring boy case is no longer a question of whether it can proceed — it’s a question of what discovery will reveal.
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Source: Fightful — read the full story there.