BALTIMORE (AP) — A new lawsuit accuses WWE and its founders of fostering a culture of sexual abuse within the organization and looking the other way as a longtime ring announcer preyed on young men he hired as “ring boys”.

The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Maryland, where a the recent change in the law eliminated the state’s statute of limitations on child sexual abuse claims, opening the door for victims to sue regardless of their age or how long it’s been.

The complaint alleges that Melvin Phillips, who died in 2012, would target youths from disadvantaged backgrounds and hire them as “ring boys” to help prepare for wrestling matches. Phillips then allegedly assaulted them in his locker room, in hotels and even in the fighters’ locker room, according to the complaint, which was filed on behalf of five men.

The abuse detailed in the lawsuit occurred over several years during Phillips’ long tenure with the organization, which spanned from the 1970s to the early 1990s. Because of his death, Phillips is not among the named defendants.

Instead, the complaint targets World Wrestling Entertainment founders Vince and Linda McMahon, the husband-and-wife team that built the organization into the powerhouse it is today. The couple was well aware of Phillips’ misconduct but did nothing to stop it, according to the complaint.

“This was not an isolated case,” said attorney Greg Gutzler, who represents the five unnamed plaintiffs. “There was a culture of abuse and it started at the top.”

According to the lawsuit, which was filed in Baltimore County Circuit Court, the abuse occurred in several states, including Maryland, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania. The plaintiffs were all between the ages of 13 and 15 when they met Phillips.

Gutzler said the plaintiffs finally found the strength to come forward and sue after Vince McMahon resigned from WWE’s parent company TKO Group Holdings earlier this year amid its own sexual misconduct scandal. He resigned in January after a woman who previously worked for WWE filed a federal lawsuit accusing him of gross misconduct, including offering her to a star wrestler for sex and sharing pornographic pictures and videos of her. McMahon already resigned as WWE CEO in 2022 amid an investigation into allegations that match those in the federal lawsuit.

An attorney representing McMahon, Jessica Rosenberg, denied the latest allegations of abuse contained in Wednesday’s complaint. In a written statement, she referenced New York Post reporting from the early 1990s, saying the recent lawsuit supports “these same false claims.”

“We will vigorously defend Mr. McMahon and are confident that the court will find these allegations to be false and without merit,” the statement said.

Emails have been sent to Linda McMahon and her organization seeking comment.

Attorneys for the other defendants are not yet listed in online court filings. Emails seeking comment have been sent to WWE and TKO Group Holdings.

McMahon was the leader and the most recognizable face in WWE for decades. When he bought what was then the World Wrestling Federation from his father in 1982, wrestling matches were held in small venues and appeared on local cable channels. WWE matches are now held in professional sports stadiums, and the organization has a considerable following overseas.

WWE merged last April with the company that runs the Ultimate Fighting Championship to create the $21.4 billion sports entertainment company TKO Group Holdings.

The lawsuit alleges that WWE leaders “gave Phillips free rein to use his highly public WWE personality and image to appeal to local kids,” allowing them to meet famous wrestlers and attend popular events.

It is claimed that the McMahons fired Phillips in 1988 due to abuse allegations that emerged during that time, but rehired him six weeks later.

Linda McMahon, who stepped down as the company’s chief executive in 2009, later led the Small Business Administration under former President Donald Trump.

The lawsuit was filed under a Maryland law that took effect last year after state lawmakers voted to eliminate the statute of limitations for such cases. Before the change, Marylanders who were sexually abused as children could file lawsuits until they turned 38.

Lawmakers approved the change in light of the Catholic Church’s sex abuse scandal after a scathing investigative report revealed the extent of the problem in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. But it opened the door to legal action against a range of other entities, including the state the juvenile justice agency.

However, the future of these claims is uncertain because the constitutionality of the law is currently being decided by the Maryland Supreme Court.

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