In a significant development for the WWE ring boy lawsuit, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday to stay the case until the Maryland Supreme Court makes a decision on the constitutionality of the state’s 2023 Child Victims Act.
The new law eliminates the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits involving child sexual abuse, even in cases of negligence, a central issue in the WWE case.
The lawsuit, filed in October in Maryland state court, brought by five former ring attendants alleges the plaintiffs were sexually abused in the 1980s by former ring announcer Mel Phillips, who died in 2012. The ring boys, anonymized as John Doe 1 through 5, claim WWE (then the World Wrestling Federation) and its leading executives at the time, Vince and Linda McMahon, failed to protect them from Phillips’s allegedly predatory behavior.
WWE on Monday filed to pause the case, citing the potential impact of the Maryland Supreme Court’s ruling, expected by August 2025.
The federal judge overseeing the ring boy case, James K. Bredar, granted WWE’s request. He emphasized the need to wait for clarity on the Child Victims Act’s legal standing.
“The Complaint raises allegations regarding sexual abuse committed in the 1980s, and the timeliness of the claims depends on the Maryland Child Victims Act of 2023 (‘CVA’),” Bredar wrote in his order. “As Defendants [WWE] explain, the viability of Plaintiffs’ [the ring boys’] claims ‘depends entirely on the constitutionality of the CVA'”.
The relevant case before the Maryland Supreme Court consolidates two cases related to child sexual abuse, with claims against The Key School and the Harford County Board of Education. How the seven state Supreme Court justices rule in that case will determine whether the CVA can constitutionally retroactively remove time limits that plaintiffs, such as the former WWF ring boys, have to file their claims.
With the lawsuit stayed, WWE and Vince and Linda McMahon will not be required to respond further to the ring boys’ allegations until the Supreme Court delivers its ruling.
The lawsuit has been a source of scrutiny for Linda McMahon, who has been nominated by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, to serve as the Secretary of Education in the new administration set to begin in January. Confirmation from the U.S. Senate is required for her to assume the office.
An attorney for Linda McMahon last month commented on the ring boy case. “This lawsuit based upon thirty-plus-year-old allegations is filled with scurrilous lies, exaggerations, and misrepresentations,” Laura Brevetti, Linda McMahon’s lawyer said.
Vince McMahon’s attorney, Jessica T. Rosenberg, in October, commented, “We will vigorously defend Mr. McMahon and are confident the court will find that these claims are untrue and unfounded.”
We attempted to contact attorneys for the plaintiffs for comment on the judge’s ruling and will update this report if they respond.
