Judge rejects WWE and McMahon constitutional challenge in abuse lawsuit

A federal judge in Maryland has denied a constitutional challenge brought by WWE, TKO Group Holdings, Vince McMahon, and Linda McMahon, allowing a sexual abuse lawsuit known as the ‘Ring Boys’ case to proceed.

U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar ruled in a 26-page opinion that Maryland’s Child Victims Act of 2023 does not violate the U.S. Constitution. The defendants had argued that the law, which removed time limits for civil claims involving childhood sexual abuse, violated their due process rights under the Fourteenth Amendment and the Ex Post Facto Clause by reviving decades-old allegations.

The lawsuit involves eight men who allege they were sexually abused as minors during the 1980s and 1990s while working in connection with WWE events. The plaintiffs accuse former ring announcer Melvin Phillips Jr. of recruiting and abusing underage boys, and allege that the McMahons were aware of the abuse but failed to intervene. While the defense noted the difficulty of litigating claims from decades ago due to the death of key witnesses, Judge Bredar noted that other witnesses with knowledge of the events remain living.