Vince McMahon and the WWE have been accused of knowing about and failing to stop the sexual exploitation of young boys by a ringside announcer, in a lawsuit filed on behalf of five alleged victims Wednesday.
The suit, filed in Baltimore County, accuses McMahon and his wife, Linda McMahon, and World Wrestling Entertainment and its parent company, TKO Holdings, of allowing the "open, rampant abuse" of so-called "ring boys" as young as 12 who acted as assistants to ringside announcer Melvin Phillips Jr. in the 1980s and 1990s.
NBC News has contacted the McMahons, TKO and the WWE for comment; none have so far responded or commented on the case publicly. Phillips died in 2012.
Law firms DiCello Levitt and Murphy, Falcon & Murphy, which filed the lawsuit, said in a statement: "The underaged Ring Boys were groomed, exploited, and sexually abused by Phillips, who targeted children from broken homes."
The alleged sexual assaults against the five unidentified claimants happened at wrestling events but also at hotels and other venues, the suit said. Phillips "lured and manipulated" 12- and 13-year-old boys with the promise of meeting wrestling stars.
The suit alleges that Phillips would abuse the claimants in his dressing room while filming it with a video camera. Two of the claimants are from Massachusetts, two are from Pennsylvania and one is from Florida — they are referred to as John Does.
The suit accuses the McMahons of long knowing of Phillips’ “peculiar and unnatural interest” in young boys.
Greg Gutzler, a partner at DiCello Levitt, who is leading the litigation, said that it was “simply unconscionable” that so many were allegedly aware of the abuse and doing nothing to stop it.
"Thanks to the bravery of our clients, we finally have a chance to hold accountable those who allowed and enabled the open, rampant sexual abuse of these young boys," he said.
McMahon fired Phillips in 1988, the suit alleges, after allegations were made about the announcer's behavior, only to rehire him six weeks later on the condition that he "steer away from kids." The suit adds: "He did not, and they knew it."
The suit says that the claimants only recently learned of how much those named in the lawsuit knew about the alleged crimes, partly because of a lawsuit from Janel Grant, a former WWE employee, accusing McMahon of sex trafficking and forcing her into a sexual relationship in exchange for a job.
McMahon disputed the allegations, saying in a statement earlier this year: “I stand by my prior statement that Ms. Grant’s lawsuit is replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and is a vindictive distortion of the truth.”
A six-part Netflix documentary, "Mr. McMahon," released last month centered on several accusations of misconduct against McMahon, including the case brought by Grant.
NBC News reported last year that the WWE disclosed that investigators served McMahon with a federal grand jury subpoena and executed a search warrant.
Marci Hamilton, founder and CEO of Child USA, a nonprofit that campaigns to strengthen children’s rights, said the case was only possible because of a statute of limitation window in Maryland that the group fought for.
"One of the greatest tools in our arsenal is to push for statute of limitations reform so perpetrators and their enabling institutions can be held accountable in cases of delayed disclosure," she said.
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The suit, filed in Baltimore County, accuses McMahon and his wife, Linda McMahon, and World Wrestling Entertainment and its parent company, TKO Holdings, of allowing the "open, rampant abuse" of so-called "ring boys" as young as 12 who acted as assistants to ringside announcer Melvin Phillips Jr. in the 1980s and 1990s.
NBC News has contacted the McMahons, TKO and the WWE for comment; none have so far responded or commented on the case publicly. Phillips died in 2012.
Law firms DiCello Levitt and Murphy, Falcon & Murphy, which filed the lawsuit, said in a statement: "The underaged Ring Boys were groomed, exploited, and sexually abused by Phillips, who targeted children from broken homes."
The alleged sexual assaults against the five unidentified claimants happened at wrestling events but also at hotels and other venues, the suit said. Phillips "lured and manipulated" 12- and 13-year-old boys with the promise of meeting wrestling stars.
The suit alleges that Phillips would abuse the claimants in his dressing room while filming it with a video camera. Two of the claimants are from Massachusetts, two are from Pennsylvania and one is from Florida — they are referred to as John Does.
The suit accuses the McMahons of long knowing of Phillips’ “peculiar and unnatural interest” in young boys.
Greg Gutzler, a partner at DiCello Levitt, who is leading the litigation, said that it was “simply unconscionable” that so many were allegedly aware of the abuse and doing nothing to stop it.
"Thanks to the bravery of our clients, we finally have a chance to hold accountable those who allowed and enabled the open, rampant sexual abuse of these young boys," he said.
McMahon fired Phillips in 1988, the suit alleges, after allegations were made about the announcer's behavior, only to rehire him six weeks later on the condition that he "steer away from kids." The suit adds: "He did not, and they knew it."
The suit says that the claimants only recently learned of how much those named in the lawsuit knew about the alleged crimes, partly because of a lawsuit from Janel Grant, a former WWE employee, accusing McMahon of sex trafficking and forcing her into a sexual relationship in exchange for a job.
McMahon disputed the allegations, saying in a statement earlier this year: “I stand by my prior statement that Ms. Grant’s lawsuit is replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and is a vindictive distortion of the truth.”
A six-part Netflix documentary, "Mr. McMahon," released last month centered on several accusations of misconduct against McMahon, including the case brought by Grant.
NBC News reported last year that the WWE disclosed that investigators served McMahon with a federal grand jury subpoena and executed a search warrant.
Marci Hamilton, founder and CEO of Child USA, a nonprofit that campaigns to strengthen children’s rights, said the case was only possible because of a statute of limitation window in Maryland that the group fought for.
"One of the greatest tools in our arsenal is to push for statute of limitations reform so perpetrators and their enabling institutions can be held accountable in cases of delayed disclosure," she said.
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