Security guard seeks damages over an entrance interaction at Raw.
Summary
– WWE and Montez Ford face a lawsuit over an allegedly unwanted dance near a security guard
– Noel Lucas claims the interaction and its online circulation caused emotional distress
– A case management hearing is scheduled for December 10
WWE and Montez Ford are facing a civil lawsuit from a security guard over an interaction during The Street Profits’ entrance on Raw.
Noel Lucas, a Cook County Sheriff’s officer working off-duty security, filed the complaint on October 14 in the Circuit Court of Cook County. Ford, whose legal name is Kenneth Crawford, and WWE subsidiary Event Services, LLC are also named as defendants.
The complaint concerns the July 6 show at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. Lucas alleges Ford performed a sexualized dance near him without warning or consent and repeatedly made contact with his leg.
Lucas further alleges that WWE and Ford circulated footage of the encounter online. He says people subsequently recognized and mocked him at his courthouse job, while his children also faced ridicule at school.
The lawsuit includes claims of assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and violations of the Illinois Gender Violence Act. Lucas also alleges that his likeness was used commercially without permission.
He is seeking unspecified damages, punitive damages and legal costs, along with an order preventing further use of his identity. A case management hearing is scheduled for December 10.
WWE had not responded to a request for comment in the initial reporting. The claims described in the complaint are allegations, not findings by a court.
