Lawsuit Alleging WWE Sexual Abuse Paused as Maryland Court Reviews Key Law

A federal judge temporarily halted proceedings against Linda McMahon, Trump's Education secretary nominee, pending a Maryland Supreme Court ruling on abuse-related lawsuits.

• The lawsuit accuses Linda McMahon, her husband Vince McMahon, WWE, and its parent company of enabling and failing to address sexual abuse of underage boys by a WWE employee in the 1980s.
• The case centers on Melvin Phillips Jr., a former WWE announcer, who allegedly abused boys hired as 'Ring Boys' to assist with event setups; he died in 2012.
• The Maryland Supreme Court is reviewing the constitutionality of a 2023 law that removed the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse lawsuits, which could impact this case.
• Linda McMahon, tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Education Department, has denied the allegations, calling them baseless and defamatory.
• The lawsuit's pause could delay proceedings during McMahon's Senate confirmation hearings, scheduled for the new year.

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