Vince McMahon's attorney has issued a statement following the news of a sexual assault lawsuit filed by former ring boys against the former WWE chairman and his wife Linda, as well as TKO and WWE itself.The civil lawsuit was filed on behalf of five anonymous ring boys who are accusing former WWE ring announcer Mel Phillips of sexual abuse against minors, which they allege the McMahons were aware of, but did nothing to stop.
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"More than 30 years ago, the columnist Phil Mushnick tried to make headlines with these same false claims," Rosenberg said in a statement. "Those allegations were never proven and ultimately became the subject of a defamation lawsuit against Mr. Mushnick. The negligence claims against Mr. McMahon that were asserted today rely on these same absurd, defamatory and utterly meritless statements by Mr. Mushnick. We will vigorously defend Mr. McMahon and are confident the court will find that these claims are untrue and unfounded."
Mushnick has previously written extensively about the alleged scandal, which was a major chapter in the Netflix docuseries "Mr. McMahon," including an article titled "Sex, Lies, and the WWF" for the New York Post. The so-called "Ring Boy Scandal" came to light in the 1990s when allegations of sexual abuse were made against Phillips, but the accusers ultimately agreed to settle with WWE. Phillips, former wrestler Terry Garvin, and Pat Patterson were let go over the allegations, though Patterson was brought back.
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A press release issued Wednesday said the FBI had uncovered at least 10 individuals who were victims of Phillips, who died in 2012. The lawsuit filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant against McMahon, accusing him of sex trafficking, is credited with bringing more attention to his actions, inspiring others, like the five ring boys, to come forward.
