Vince McMahon and the WWE have been accused in a new lawsuit of knowing about and allowing the “rampant and open” sexual abuse of young boys by ringside announcer Melvin Phillips Jr.
Phillips, who worked for the wrestling organization throughout the 1970s, 1980s and into the early 1990s, died in 2012.
The suit, which has been seen by The Independent, was filed in Baltimore County on behalf of five anonymous alleged victims identified only as John Does. It names McMahon, the WWE and its parent company TKO Holdings among the defendants.
According to the lawsuit, Phillips used his position to hire boys as young as 12 or 13 to assist the ring crew in preparing for WWE shows. However, per the suit, “Phillips’ real motivation in luring the Ring Boys with the promise of access to the popular WWE events was to sexually abuse them.”
The suit goes on to claim that McMahon knew about Phillips’s actions, quoting him as saying in the 1980s that the announcer had a “peculiar and unnatural interest” in young boys.
The suit also alleges that at some venues, the defendants provided Phillips with a private dressing room “where he would use his own expensive video camera (extremely rare at the time) to film his sexual escapades with the children.”
Vince McMahon’s attorney, Jessica Rosenberg, told The Independent in a statement: “More than 30 years ago, the columnist Phil Mushnick tried to make headlines with these same false claims. Those allegations were never proven and ultimately became the subject of a defamation lawsuit against Mr Mushnick.
“The negligence claims against Mr. McMahon that were asserted today rely on these same absurd, defamatory and utterly meritless statements by Mr Mushnick. We will vigorously defend Mr McMahon and are confident the court will find that these claims are untrue and unfounded.”
In a separate statement to The Independent, Greg Gutzler, a partner at law firm DiCello Levitt, which is leading the litigation, said: “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.
“That so many were aware of the sexual abuse of the Ring Boys and did nothing to prevent or stop it is simply unconscionable.”
Mark DiCello, founding partner of DiCello Levitt, added: “The WWE and McMahons had a responsibility to these underaged boys, and they failed them in the worst way possible. We will vigorously fight to uncover the truth about this systemic, insidious, and life-altering abuse.
“We commend our clients for their bravery in coming forward and promise to relentlessly seek justice for them.”
Last month, McMahon was the subject of the Netflix docuseries Mr McMahon which included several more accusations of misconduct, including allegations of sexual assault and trafficking former employee Janel Grant. McMahon has claimed he was “misrepresented” by the series.
