WWE, TKO, Vince McMahon, and Linda McMahon have taken another loss in their attempts to bring an early end to the ‘Ring Boy’ lawsuit.
On October 19, U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar rejected their latest argument for dismissal, according to POST Wrestling.
As a result, the seven former ring boys can keep pushing their case toward discovery in the case that alleges sexual abuse of minors occurred on WWE’s watch.
The attempt by WWE, TKO & the McMahons centered on whether Maryland’s Child Victims Act could apply to this case and allegations of activity from decades ago.
The state eliminated the time limit for civil lawsuits involving childhood sexual abuse in 2023. Typically, lawsuits like these would’ve faced a statute of limitations.
The argument was that the defendants having to defend themselves decades after the alleged incidents would cause several unfair problems.
Individuals tied to the case are dead, including Mel Phillips, Terry Garvin, and Pat Patterson, who were accused of sexually assaulting underage boys.
While Judge Bredar acknowledged the difficulties of defending a case this old, he ruled that these issues did not make Maryland’s law unconstitutional.
“Defendants do not show how their particular hardships make the [Maryland Child Victims Act] arbitrary or irrational.”
In his ruling, Judge Bredar decided that Maryland lawmakers had a legitimate reason for removing the old time limit. He states,
“But the Court’s role here is to interpret the United States Constitution and to resolve disputes that arise under it. The Maryland General Assembly created its statute of limitations for child sexual abuse claims and, in response to a legitimate and pressing issue, decided to alter it in a rational way.”
TKO is the parent company of WWE. TKO was founded iin 2023 following the sale of WWE by Vince McMahon to Endeavor Group Holdings.
Vince McMahon stepped away from WWE for the second time in 2024 following allegations made against him in Janel Grant’s lawsuit.
Despite allegedly being aware of abuse of minors and not preventing it, Linda McMahon serves as Secretary of Education in President Trump’s administration.
