The men accusing Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon, WWE, and TKO of negligence tied to alleged sexual abuse during their time as teenage “ring boys” in the 1980s and early 1990s will continue using “John Doe” pseudonyms in court for now.
According to POST Wrestling, Federal Judge James K. Bredar rejected efforts from Vince McMahon and U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to force the plaintiffs to publicly reveal their identities during the pretrial phase of the case. WWE and TKO did not oppose the request for anonymity.
The ruling means the identities of the accusers will remain known to the defendants and attorneys involved in the lawsuit, but not to the public as the case moves through discovery and depositions. The judge also left open the possibility that the anonymity issue could be revisited before trial if the case advances that far.
The lawsuit centers around allegations that former WWF ring announcer Mel Phillips sexually abused teenage ring boys after recruiting them to help set up wrestling rings at events. One plaintiff also alleges abuse by former WWF executive Pat Patterson. Both Phillips and Patterson are deceased.
The plaintiffs are suing Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon, WWE, and TKO for negligence, claiming the company and its leadership knew or should have known the boys were at risk of harm.
Judge Bredar ruled that the sensitive nature of the allegations weighed heavily in favor of protecting the plaintiffs’ identities.
“The subject matter of this case — allegations of childhood sexual abuse — are particularly sensitive and personal even beyond other allegations of sexual abuse.”
The judge also agreed with arguments from the plaintiffs’ attorneys that publicly revealing the men’s names could cause additional trauma.
“There is a significant risk of subjecting Plaintiffs to re-traumatization if they are forced to publicly reveal their identities, making them permanently available on the Internet.”
Attorneys for Vince McMahon argued that allowing anonymity created an unfair disadvantage for the defense because publicity surrounding the lawsuit had already encouraged more former ring boys to join the case, while defendants would have a harder time locating witnesses helpful to their side.
The judge acknowledged there could be some disadvantage for the defense but ultimately ruled it did not outweigh the potential harm to the plaintiffs if their identities became public.
Bredar also rejected Vince McMahon’s request to prevent the plaintiffs and their attorneys from publicly discussing the case while litigation continues. At the same time, the judge warned that if any plaintiff publicly reveals enough information to identify themselves, they could lose their right to anonymity moving forward.
The case continues moving through discovery after seven of the eight original claims survived motions to dismiss late last year.
What do you think about the judge allowing the WWE ring boys to remain anonymous during the case? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
