A federal judge in Baltimore has refused to dismiss a lawsuit accusing WWE, its parent company TKO Group Holdings, and former executives Vince and Linda McMahon of liability in the alleged sexual abuse of underage boys connected to wrestling events decades ago. U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar rejected the defendants' bid to throw out the case and denied their constitutional challenge to the Maryland law that allowed the lawsuit to be filed in the first place.
The lawsuit, filed by anonymous plaintiffs, alleges they were sexually abused by WWE officials.
WWE, which was formerly known as the WWF, and lawyers for Vince and Linda McMahon did not immediately respond to requests for comment this week, per the same report.
How the Case Reached Federal Court
The case, formally Doe 1 v. World Wrestling Entertainment, LLC, No. 1:24-cv-03487 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, began in Baltimore County Circuit Court before WWE and TKO Group Holdings removed it to federal court in December 2024, according to the docket maintained by CourtListener. The case was assigned to Judge Bredar.
The lawsuit was made possible by Maryland's Child Victims Act of 2023, which eliminated the state's previous statute of limitations for sex abuse claims involving minors.
Judge Rejects Challenge to Maryland Law
Judge Bredar rejected the defendants' challenge to Maryland's law.
The ruling follows the Maryland Supreme Court's 2025 decision rejecting arguments that the Child Victims Act violated the state constitution, a case the court decided 4-3 according to WBAL-TV. That fight over retroactive abuse claims is far from settled nationally: State Court Report notes that top courts in Maine, Utah, and Kentucky have ruled similar laws invalid, finding that expired statutes of limitations create vested rights that cannot be revived, while Georgia and Vermont's high courts reached the opposite conclusion. Louisiana's supreme court initially struck down a similar lookback window before reversing itself on rehearing and upholding it.
Linda McMahon's Political Role
Linda McMahon is the U.S. Secretary of Education. She was photographed at the Republican National Midterm Convention in Dallas, Texas, on September 10, 2026, Reuters reported.
The Reuters report on the ruling was authored by Daniel Wiessner and reported from Albany, New York.
