A recent lawsuit claimed that Linda McMahonUS President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for education secretary has allegedly enabled child sexual abuse by a WWE employee in the 1980s – claims she denies.
Linda McMahonwho previously served as CEO of WWE, helped grow the organization from a wrestling entertainment venture into a publicly listed media corporation with her husband Vince. She stepped down in 2009 to pursue a Senate campaign in Connecticut, which proved unsuccessful in 2010 and 2012.
As McMahon seeks confirmation as co-chair of Trump’s transition team, the lawsuit raises concerns about her oversight of child welfare at WWE.
The legal action claims that McMahon, his spouse, are authorized employees of WWE and parent company TKO Group Holdings. Melvin Phillips Jr Abusing his ringside announcer position to sexually exploit children.
According to the filing, Phillips told the youths “Ring Boys” used this role as a cover for abuse, allegedly targeting staff in changing areas to help with ring setup at WWE events. The suit states that he repeatedly recorded the abuse.
Filed in October in Baltimore County, Maryland, the case represents five unnamed plaintiffs who were ages 13-15 when Phillips allegedly recruited them. They report trauma from the claimed abuse.
“Phillips lured and manipulated young boys with promises of meeting famous wrestlers and attending highly popular wrestling shows, experiences that were otherwise inaccessible to these children,” the lawsuit alleges. “(The McMahons, WWE and TKO Holdings) allowed Phillips and others to engage in and promote WWE’s rampant culture of sexual abuse.”
The plaintiffs are seeking more than $30,000 in damages, saying the McMahons failed in their employer obligations. Phillips worked as a WWE announcer and crew chief in the 1970s-90s until his death in 2012.
The lawsuit states that both McMahons were aware of Phillips’ actions. According to the filing, Vince McMahon admitted that he and Linda knew of Phillips’ “peculiar and unnatural interest” in young boys in the early 1980s.
Linda McMahon’s solicitor Laura Brevetti dismissed the allegations as false.
“This civil lawsuit, based on allegations that are more than thirty years old, is full of lies, exaggerations and misrepresentations regarding Linda McMahon,” Brevetti said. “Ms. McMahon will vigorously defend against this baseless lawsuit and will no doubt ultimately succeed.”
Bravetti confirmed that Linda and Vince McMahon have split. Vince’s attorney, Jessica Rosenberg, previously denied the lawsuit’s claims but did not respond to recent inquiries.
The New York Post reported Phillips’ alleged WWE misconduct in early 1992.
“It was common knowledge in WWE—among ring crew, wrestlers, and executives—that Phillips surrounded himself with a posse of underage ring boys, traveling across state lines and carrying children. stayed in a hotel room,” the lawsuit alleges
The McMahons terminated Phillips in 1988 amid mounting allegations of abuse, then rehired him weeks later with instructions to avoid children, though the abuse allegedly continued with his knowledge.
“After decades of suffering in silence from their childhood trauma, these survivors now come forward to hold the defendants accountable for allowing the systemic and widespread abuse by Phillips,” the lawsuit alleges. No criminal charges have been filed.
According to plaintiffs’ counsel Greg Gutzler, Maryland’s Child Victims Act of 2023 removed time limits for certain abuse-related civil suits, allowing for delayed disclosure due to trauma.
Linda McMahon previously headed Trump’s Small Business Administration until 2019, later chairing a pro-Trump super PAC. She helps lead the America First Policy Institute, an organization affiliated with Trump.
Vince McMahon continues to face scrutiny over allegations of abuse. In 2023, he settled with a former employee claiming rape and resigned from TK Holdings following allegations of assault and trafficking, which he denies.
Vince McMahon is currently facing a federal criminal investigation and a separate Connecticut federal court proceeding, which has been temporarily suspended until December. A New York criminal investigation is ongoing but there is no legal risk for Linda McMahon, who left WWE a decade ago.
The US Attorney’s Office declined to comment, as did Vince McMahon’s legal representation regarding the criminal investigation.
