Judge Allows ‘Ring Boys’ Abuse Suit to Proceed

Overview

• Judge James Bredar, in a Monday ruling, rejected challenges that the 2023 Maryland law violated the Constitution and restored the John Doe v. WWE litigation to active status.
• The plaintiffs say seven men were sexually abused as minors in the 1980s and 1990s while working at WWE events and allege WWE and the McMahons were negligent for allowing the abuse to continue.
• Several alleged perpetrators named in the filings, including Mel Phillips, Pat Patterson, and Terry Garvin, are deceased, a fact the defense says complicates proving decades-old claims.
• The court set a November teleconference to set deadlines and move the case into discovery, which will include document requests, witness interviews, and the possibility of deposing Linda McMahon about her knowledge while an executive at WWE.
• The suit was enabled by the Maryland Child Victims Act of 2023, which removed civil time limits for child sexual‑abuse claims and therefore allows these previously time‑barred cases to be litigated now.