WWE seeks to have the “ring boys” lawsuit put on hold.
In October, DiCello Levitt and Murphy, Falcon & Murphy shared a press release in which they announced that they filed a lawsuit against WWE, Vince McMahon and Linda McMahon, and TKO on behalf of five individuals who worked as “ring boys” in WWE. These individuals claim that they were sexually abused by former ring announcer Mel Phillips during their time in the company in the 1980s.
Brandon Thurston of POST Wrestling reports that attorneys for WWE and TKO want the lawsuit put on hold until the Maryland Supreme Court rules on the constitutionality of the Maryland Child Victims Act.
In new court filings on Monday, WWE’s attorneys argue that if the act is found to be unconstitutional, the claims in the lawsuit could not go forward, so they urged the court to stay this matter. They wrote that the act could be a “potentially case determinative issue.” They also highlighted other cases that have been stayed, awaiting a decision from Maryland’s Supreme Court.
Per Thurston, the Maryland Child Victims Act “removes the statues of limitations” and allows victims to “sue non-perpetrator defendants whose negligence may have led to child sex abuse.”
Additionally, WWE and TKO representatives filed to remove the case from the state level and bring it to federal court, arguing that federal jurisdiction was “established due to the diversity of state citizenship of the parties and the amount of damages the plaintiffs are seeking.”
Thurston notes that attorneys for both McMahons submitted filings that expressed their content for pushing to move the case to federal court.
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The filings state that a decision from The Maryland Supreme Court is expected by August 31, 2025. WWE also requested the federal court to postpone the December 9 deadline to respond to the ring boys’ complaint, but they were denied, as the plaintiffs did not consent.
Vince McMahon’s Attorney Comments
Vince McMahon’s attorney Jessica Rosenberg previously commented on the lawsuit in a statement shared by Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics.
Rosenberg stated that the negligence claims against McMahon relied on the same “absurd, defamatory and utterly meritless statements” Phil Mushnick made years ago. Rosenberg said that the legal team would defend McMahon vigorously.
“More than 30 years ago, the columnist Phil Mushnick tried to make headlines with these same false claims. Those allegations were never proven and ultimately became the subject of a defamation lawsuit against Mr. Mushnick.
“The negligence claims against Mr. McMahon that were asserted today rely on these same absurd, defamatory and utterly meritless statements by Mr. Mushnick. We will vigorously defend Mr. McMahon and are confident the court will find that these claims are untrue and unfounded.”
WrestleZone will provide more information as it becomes available.
