Ring Boys Scandal Lawsuit Against WWE, TKO, Vince McMahon, & Linda McMahon Update – Vince & Linda McMahon File Oppositions to Ring Boy Plaintiffs’ Request to Maintain Anonymity in Lawsuit

As noted before, a lawsuit was filed in October of 2024 against WWE, WWE’s parent company TKO Group, former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, and Linda McMahon on behalf of the survivors of the infamous WWE Ring Boys scandal in 1992. Additional survivors joined as plaintiffs for the lawsuit following the Maryland Supreme Court upholding the Maryland Child Victims Act as being constitutional this past February. More survivors joined as plaintiffs this past April and filed new additional allegations. The lawsuit against WWE and others was allowed to continue this past December for seven of the eight plaintiffs while the other plaintiff’s lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice. The plaintiffs filed a motion earlier this month requesting to maintain anonymity in the lawsuit.

Post Wrestling and Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston reported that both Vince and Linda McMahon have filed oppositions this past Monday to the ring boys’ motion to maintain anonymity in the lawsuit and require them to continue the lawsuit under their real names.

Thurston reported that Vince and Linda’s had filed their oppositions separately but were aligned in their reasons for the request. WWE and TKO Group reportedly have not filed oppositions and are currently not expected to do so.

Vince and Linda reportedly argued that continued anonymity would “unfairly hinder their ability to defend against the allegations as the case moves into discovery, the phase when depositions may take place.”

In regards to the reason for the plaintiffs’ request to maintain anonymity, they argued that public disclosure of their names “would expose them to serious psychological harm, re-traumatization, and unwanted attention, especially given the high-profile of the defendants and the interest the case has drawn from the wrestling audience.”

In the filings, The McMahons claimed that continued anonymity will harm the ability for witnesses to come forward who may support their defense as part of their arguments for why it should not continue.

The McMahons’ attorneys reportedly have brought up the idea of limited confidentiality orders that the judge may consider for the decision over this issue.

The plaintiffs reportedly have until February 6th to file an official response to the McMahon’s oppositions.

In the filings, both McMahons cited recent cases involving Sean Combs and Kevin Spacey, where plaintiffs were required to proceed under their real names. Thurston reported that those decisions came from federal cases in New York, under the Second Circuit but due to the ring boys’ lawsuit is being litigated in Maryland District Court under the Fourth Circuit, the Maryland federal court is not required to follow those precedents but may consider them for a ruling.

Thurston reported that Judge James K. Bredar is expected to make an official decision on the anonymity issue sometime in February at the earliest and after the plaintiffs’ deadline to file a reply.