WWE filed a major motion in an ongoing lawsuit against the company.
Back in October, a new lawsuit was filed in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County, MD claiming that Linda & Vince McMahon were aware of rampant sexual abuse was going on in WWE at the hands of Mel Phillips, who is accused of multiple horrifying sex crimes against young boys who worked as ring boys for the organization. Five survivors of that time (referred to as John Does 1-5) are named as plaintiffs in the case.
Now, POST Wrestling reports that representatives for WWE and parent company TKO recently filed a motion to pause the lawsuit until the Maryland Supreme Court determines the constitutionality of the Maryland Child Victims Act, which would remove the statute of limitations for victims to sue non-perpetrators of negligence leading to abuse. The defendants’ attorneys wrote:
“If the [Child Victims Act] is found to be unconstitutional, the claims here cannot go forward. Given that circumstance, it is appropriate and even necessary to stay this matter until the Supreme Court of Maryland decides that fundamental and potentially case determinative issue.”
A determination by the Maryland Supreme Court is expected by August of 2025.
In addition, the defendants also sought for the case to be removed from the state level to the Maryland federal court. According to the report, the defendants argue that federal jurisdiction is needed due to the diversity of state citizenships of those involved and the amount of damages being requested.
WWE and TKO also sought an extension to their December 9th deadline to respond to the plaintiffs’ claims. A statement from the company’s attorneys notes that the plaintiffs denied this request themselves:
“On November 26, 2024, counsel for Defendants spoke by e-mail with counsel for Plaintiffs and sought Plaintiffs consent to the relief sought herein. Plaintiffs advised that they do not consent to this request.”
Representation for Linda McMahon recently called the lawsuit “baseless.”
In an update on December 4th, POST Wrestling reports that Judge James K. Bredar granted WWE’s request to pause the lawsuit, agreeing with the need to wait on the Maryland Supreme Court’s decision regarding the Child Victims Act.
Why Did Vince McMahon Resign From WWE?
On January 25th, former WWE employee Janel Grant filed a lawsuit against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE that contained horrifying allegations of grooming, abuse, and sex trafficking. The suit is seeking to void a previous NDA and seeks financial damages of an unspecified amount. This is the latest in allegations about McMahon that began back in 2022 when it was reported that the then-Chairman paid $12 million in hush money to four women.
On January 26th, Vince McMahon resigned from all duties with TKO and WWE while continuing to deny the allegations against him. The lawsuit against McMahon is currently on pause at the request of the US Department of Justice.
After news of this latest lawsuit, Janel Grant’s attorney Ann Callis issued a statement about Vince McMahon enabling a culture of abuse and trafficking in WWE.