‘Ring boy’ lawsuit against WWE & McMahons will continue but with changes
A judge has ruled that the ongoing lawsuit stemming from former WWF ring boys being sexually assaulted in the 1980s and early 1990s by a ring announcer will continue.
However, there are some changes to the lawsuit itself according to Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston who reported the news on X.
Filed in October, the lawsuit accuses Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon, TKO and WWE of kboth nowing and ultimately doing nothing to to prevent Mel Phillips’ sexual assault of underage boys. Phillips, who has since died, was fired by WWE in 1992 after the allegations became public.
Longtime WWE official Pat Patterson and former WWE wrestler Koko B. Ware have also been named as the list of plaintiffs has grown to eight people over time.
There have been efforts on the defendants’ side to get the case thrown out, but to no avail.
According to Thurston, Judge James Bredar of the U.S. District Court in Maryland via a ruling and 48-page opinion, has ordered the case to continue but with separation on who the plaintiffs have claims against.
“The defendants had asked the court to dismiss all the claims for lack of jurisdiction among other reasons. This ruling narrowly rejects that motion. The defendants’ filings up to this point nor the judge have responded yet to the merits of the ring boys’ claims of abuse,” Thurston wrote.
One plaintiff — John Doe 7 — is no longer involved following the ruling as his claims have been “dismissed without prejudice” which means their case can refiled at a later date but within the statute of limitations if new evidence emerges or other factors.
John Does 2 and 6’s claims remain against Linda McMahon while the rest remain against Vince McMahon and WWE/TKO.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.