Judge Allows Ring Boy Lawsuit Against WWE To Proceed

A U.S. District Judge ruled that Maryland's Child Victims Act is constitutional as applied to the lawsuit filed by former WWE ring boys. The decision allows the case to proceed to the discovery phase, where depositions will be conducted and evidence exchanged. A teleconference is scheduled for November 17 to establish future deadlines.

The ruling does not determine whether the alleged abuse occurred or if the defendants bear responsibility. The case remains several months away from any potential trial. The ring boys had previously overcome a motion to dismiss in May that reduced the number of plaintiffs from eight to seven.

Claims by two plaintiffs continue against Linda McMahon, while all seven plaintiffs proceed with claims against Vince McMahon, WWE, and TKO. The former ring boys allege abuse in multiple states but claim some of the incidents took place in Maryland.

Maryland enacted the Child Victims Act in 2023, removing time limits for filing civil lawsuits involving child sexual abuse. Without the law, the statute of limitations on the plaintiffs' claims would have expired years earlier. Maryland's state Supreme Court upheld the Act in 2025 under the state constitution.

The defendants challenged the law on U.S. Constitutional grounds, specifically arguing it violated due process rights under the Fourteenth Amendment by eliminating protections from old lawsuits. The federal judge determined that the U.S. Constitution grants states broad authority over lawsuit deadlines.