Breaking News – Cook County Sherriff’s Officer Files Lawsuit Against WWE & Montez Ford

A Cook County Sheriff’s officer has filed a lawsuit against WWE and Montez Ford over an incident during a July 2026 episode of Monday Night RAW that was broadcast live on Netflix.

According to a report from POST Wrestling, Noel Lucas filed the lawsuit on October 14 in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois. The suit names WWE, Ford, whose real name is Kenneth Crawford, and WWE subsidiary Event Services, LLC, as defendants.

Lucas was working as an off-duty security guard during the July 6 edition of RAW in Rosemont, Illinois, when the alleged incident took place. Ford, who is from Chicago, is accused of performing a lap dance on Lucas without his consent. WWE subsequently shared the footage on its social media accounts.

The lawsuit alleges 14 counts, including assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and violations of the Illinois Gender Violence Act. Lucas also claims that WWE and Ford violated the Illinois Right of Publicity Act by using his image for commercial purposes.

In an excerpt from the lawsuit cited by POST Wrestling, Lucas describes the alleged interaction as follows,

“Defendant Crawford then began performing a sexually provocative dance immediately in front of and over Plaintiff [Lucas], repeatedly thrusting and gyrating his hips and pelvis towards Plaintiff, performing a sexualized ‘lap dance.’”

“[Crawford] moved his body increasingly closer to [Lucas]; continued the lap dance. [Crawford’s] left inner thigh repeatedly rubbed against Plaintiff’s leg.”

Lucas alleges that the incident and the subsequent circulation of the footage caused him significant humiliation, embarrassment, and emotional distress. He claims that the attention surrounding the clip made him publicly recognizable and that people began mocking him the following day by imitating Ford’s actions.

The lawsuit further alleges that Lucas’ children have been “mocked and ridiculed” at school because of the incident.

Lucas’ attorney, Whitney Barr, addressed the situation in a statement to POST Wrestling, saying,

“Like so many law enforcement officers, Mr. Lucas works a second job in order to better provide for his children.”

POST Wrestling is reporting that WWE has been contacted for comment but had not responded at the time of publication. The interaction between Ford and Lucas is no longer included in the July 6 RAW episode available on Netflix.

Lucas is seeking an unspecified amount in monetary damages, punitive damages, and reimbursement for his legal expenses. He is also asking the court to prohibit WWE and Ford from using his identity.

A hearing in the case is scheduled for December 10.

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