Maryland AG enters WWE sex abuse case in defense of Child Victims Act

Luke Parker, Baltimore Sun on Apr 6, 2026

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BALTIMORE — The Maryland attorney general’s office can defend the constitutionality of the state’s Child Victims Act against challenges by the WWE in an ongoing sexual abuse lawsuit involving former ring crew recruits, a judge ruled Thursday.

The recruits, known as “ring boys,” were hired by professional wrestling promotions for decades to help put together and tear down sets when a show came to town.

In 2024, shortly after Maryland’s General Assembly allowed survivors of sexual abuse to sue over historic cases, five former ring boys sued WWE, its parent company TKO Group Holdings and ex-leaders Vince and Linda McMahon in state court. Together, the John Does accused ringside announcer Mel Phillips of exploiting his position and proximity to wrestlers to lure and assault children.

According to their 82-page complaint, the victims ranged in age but were often as young as 12 or 13 years old.

Phillips died in 2012. Representatives and lawyers for WWE and Vince McMahon, respectively, did not respond to comment requests Monday.

Attorneys for Linda McMahon, the Trump administration’s secretary of education and wife of the WWE’s disgraced ex-chairman and character villain, declined to comment.

The wrestling company and executives’ motion last month argues the lawsuit violates their Fifth Amendment (takings) and 14th Amendment (due process) rights. It’s not the first time the validity of the Child Victims Act has been questioned.

The landmark bill, which eliminated the statute of limitations on child sex abuse claims, was the subject of a legal battle almost as soon as it was enacted in 2023 — a battle that ended in a narrow 4-3 decision by the Supreme Court of Maryland.

Although the law survived, the General Assembly soon made drastic changes to how much money individual claims can draw. When the new caps were finalized last year, establishing a deadline for when hundreds of thousands of dollars could no longer be awarded, more than 3,800 additional claims were filed in two months. The Baltimore Sun found that the rushed cases against public agencies opened up the state to $2.7 billion in liability.

Now, citing the state Supreme Court, the Maryland Office of the Attorney General is stepping into the wrestling lawsuit on the victims’ act’s behalf.

“The Attorney General’s interest in this case is defending the constitutionality of the (Child Victims Act) and not advocating for any party or parties on the ultimate merits of the case,” they wrote in their March 31 motion to intervene.

That motion was approved Thursday, and a scheduling conference has been set for Wednesday.

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