Today the law firm of DiCello Levitt and Murphy, Falcon & Murphy filed a lawsuit against WWE, Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon, and TKO on behalf of five individuals known in WWE as “ring boys” who the lawsuit states were subject to sexual abuse. The suit states that the underaged boys were hired by ring crew chief Melvin Phillips Jr. to assist with errands other tasks as part of WWE’s events, and states that they “were groomed, exploited, and sexually abused by Phillips”, who targeted children from broken homes. The suit also states that the defendants were “fully aware of the systemic and pervasive abuse and did nothing to prevent or stop it.”
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“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,” said Greg Gutzler, a partner at DiCello Levitt, who is leading the litigation. “That so many were aware of the sexual abuse of the Ring Boys and did nothing to prevent or stop it is simply unconscionable.”
In the official post released by the firm, it is said that the survivors only recently learned how much the McMahons and WWE knew about what happened to them, citing the filing of Grant v. WWE and Vince McMahon’s exit from the company as points of new information that have allowed them to file and “pursue justice in this suit.”
“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,” said Mark DiCello, founding partner of DiCello Levitt. “We commend our clients for their bravery in coming forward and promise to relentlessly seek justice for them.”
“These survivors are profiles in courage. One third of child sex abuse victims never come forward, because the shame, humiliation, trauma, and physical and psychological injuries silence them,” said Professor Marci Hamilton, founder and CEO of CHILD USA, a leading nonprofit think tank fighting to preserve and strengthen children’s rights. “Sadly, we know that 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 13 boys will be sexually abused before the age of 18. CHILD USA is fighting child sex abuse and trafficking, and 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. Due to the Maryland window we fought for, these brave survivors can seek justice.”
The case was filed in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County, MD by DiCello Levitt’s Greg Gutzler, Mark DiCello, Bobby DiCello, Adam Prom, and Emma Bruder and Murphy, Falcon & Murphy’s William H. “Billy” Murphy, Jr. You can find a copy of the official complaint here.
