Maryland Supreme Court Clears Way For WWE ‘Ring Boys’ Lawsuit To Move Forward

A ruling by the Maryland Supreme Court has cleared the roadblocks for the “ring boys” lawsuit against WWE to move forward. As reported in December, a stay in the lawsuit was ordered by the judge presiding over it pending a ruling by Maryland’s highest court on on the Child Victims Act. That statute removed the statute of limitations and allows victims to sue “non-perpetrator defendants whose negligence may have led to child sex abuse.”

The Baltimore Sun reports that the Maryland Supreme Court struck down a challenge to the law and ruled that it is constitutional, which effectively removes the statute of limitations on civil cases. That opens the way for the lawsuit filed by five former ring boys against WWE to move forward.

The lawsuit was filed against WWE, Vince McMahon and Linda McMahon in October of last year. The five plantiffs allege that Mel Phillips and Terry Garvin sexually abused them during their time working for the company in the the 1980s and 1990s, and that Vince and Linda McMahon were aware of the abuse but did nothing to stop it.