WWE and Vince McMahon responded separately to the ring boy lawsuit in new filings. Their motions in U.S. District Court in Maryland, dated Tuesday, follow a similar motion filed earlier by Linda McMahon.
The company and its former chief executive argue, like Linda McMahon’s attorneys did, that the case should be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction in Maryland, where the Child Victims Act of 2023 has recently removed any statutes of limitations on civil lawsuits related to child sex abuse or negligence leading to child sex abuse.
In separate filings, WWE and Vince McMahon argue they don’t have meaningful ties to Maryland, and pushed back against allegations from the plaintiffs, who are five John Does alleging they were sexually abused in the 1980s by former ring announcer Mel Phillips, including on occasions in Maryland when the WWF held events in the state. Phillips allegedly recruited the minors to set up wrestling rings and perform other errands.
Phillips died in 2012, and the former ring boys are seeking to hold the McMahons and WWE accountable for the alleged negligence that they say allowed them to be abused. Linda and Vince McMahon were the lead executives of the WWF throughout the 1980s.
The plaintiffs assert that Phillips was fired by the WWF in 1988 due to his conduct, but then rehired soon after with the instruction that he “steer clear” from underage boys. That and other claims raised by the former ring boys are meant to support the argument that the company and its top executives should have known Phillips was abusing them.
“Plaintiffs appear to have selected Maryland as their forum of choice in an attempt to benefit from the recently enacted Maryland Child Victims Act of 2023,” attorneys for WWE stated in the filing. “But the Plaintiffs’ claims do not belong there.”
Vince McMahon’s attorneys put it more sharply.
“Five unnamed adults—none of whom are from Maryland—have come to this jurisdiction pleading decades-old allegations from the 1980s in an attempt to capitalize on the recent Maryland Child Victims Act [MCVA] of 2023.”
McMahon’s attorneys argue that while the MCVA may have eliminated time limits for filing lawsuits like these, it doesn’t forego the requirement for the court to have proper jurisdiction over the defendants.
McMahon’s lawyers deny he had any knowledge or involvement in the abuse and call the complaint a compilation of unreliable sources.
“The Complaint attempts to manufacture such knowledge by spouting a broad catalog of negative press, unfounded opinions, speculation, and multi-level hearsay from a hodgepodge of characters (many of whom are deceased).”
WWE and its parent company, TKO Group Holdings, also challenge whether they can be held liable. Their filing argues that the lawsuit improperly treats them as interchangeable with the “now nonexistent entity,” the World Wrestling Federation—WWE’s company name until 2002. TKO, furthermore, was created in 2023 upon WWE’s merger with UFC.
WWE’s attorneys from the Paul Weiss firm state the plaintiffs didn’t properly allege “successor liability”, which is the legal concept that would allow a new company to be sued for the actions of its predecessor. They argue the lawsuit doesn’t establish why WWE or TKO should be held liable for the conduct of WWF personnel in the 1980s.
WWE calls the plaintiffs’ statements that approach the topic of successor liability as “only conclusory and barebones allegations”.
In their lawsuit filed in October, attorneys for the former ring boys stated: “As successor entities, WWE and TKO acquired any and all assets and liabilities for the entity, WWF, and therefore, are liable for the conduct of the principals, agents, and employees that occurred in the course and scope of their employment and/or in the furtherance of the WWF business and brand.”
On the issue of jurisdiction, WWE and TKO argue they are not incorporated in Maryland, they don’t operate there, and that only two of the five plaintiffs have alleged they were abused in Maryland. “This is especially true as to John Does, 1, 2, and 3—none of whom plausibly allege any connection between their claims and any WWF (or WWE) business dealings in Maryland,” the motion asserts.
Vince McMahon also contends that the federal court in Maryland has no jurisdiction over him. His attorneys point out that he’s a longtime resident of Connecticut and that he took no actions in Maryland related to the plaintiffs’ claims.
WWE also states that the alleged hiring of the plaintiffs by Phillips doesn’t tie the company to the former ring boys.
“To the contrary, the Complaint alleges that Phillips hired Plaintiffs and that Phillips paid Plaintiffs money for the work he requested,” the company’s lawyers state, making the case that there was no employer-employee relationship established between the minors and the company, and therefore, the company didn’t owe them a duty of care.
By focusing on jurisdiction first instead of contesting the abuse allegations themselves, the defendants may be able to end the case without going through discovery. If the court approved of the defendants’ motions to dismiss, it may be difficult to impossible for the plaintiffs to litigate the case elsewhere. Though they allege they were abused by Phillips in multiple states, most other U.S. states have statutes of limitations that may preclude their claims.
The defendants requested a hearing on their motions, which Judge James K. Bredar hasn’t scheduled yet.
Attorneys for the five plaintiffs haven’t responded in court yet. A request for comment from POST Wrestling to the law firm representing them wasn’t immediately returned.
