WWE has been granted a motion to stay the lawsuit filed by five former “ring boys” against the company, as well as Vince and Linda McMahon. The lawsuit, filed in October, alleges that Mel Phillips and Terry Garvin sexually abused the plaintiffs, and claims that Vince and Linda McMahon were aware of the abuse but failed to intervene. According to POST Wrestling, Judge James K. Bredar granted WWE’s motion to stay the lawsuit while the Maryland Supreme Court rules on the Child Victims Act.
The new Maryland law removes the statute of limitations, allowing victims to sue “non-perpetrator defendants whose negligence may have led to child sex abuse.” The Maryland Supreme Court is currently evaluating the constitutionality of the law in a consolidated case, with a decision expected by August 31, 2025.
WWE filed its motion on Monday to request a stay in the case, and the judge agreed. In his ruling, the judge stated:
“The Complaint raises allegations regarding sexual abuse committed in the 1980s, and the timeliness of the claims depends on the Maryland Child Victims Act of 2023 (‘CVA’). As Defendants [WWE] explain, the viability of Plaintiffs’ [the ring boys’] claims ‘depends entirely on the constitutionality of the CVA’”
