Caffarelli & Martin Ltd. represents Noel Lucas, a longtime Cook County Sheriff’s officer, in a lawsuit against World Wrestling Entertainment, LLC, its event production company, Event Services, LLC, and wrestler Kenneth Crawford, known professionally as Montez Ford. Filed October 14, 2026, in the Circuit Court of Cook County, the case has received coverage from Sports Illustrated, the New York Post, and the Chicago Sun-Times, bringing national attention to allegations of unwanted sexualized contact and the subsequent use of a security officer’s image to promote WWE’s entertainment.
Lucas, a law enforcement officer with approximately 24 years of experience, was working an off-duty security assignment at WWE’s Monday Night Raw at Allstate Arena in Rosemont on July 6, 2026. According to the complaint, WWE personnel instructed him to remain seated at a post immediately outside the wrestling ring. Lucas alleges that Ford approached him without warning, straddled him, and repeatedly thrust and gyrated his hips toward him while making unwanted physical contact. Lucas had not been told he would be incorporated into the performance and did not consent to the encounter.
“Mr. Lucas was there to do his job, not to be made a part of WWE’s entertainment,” attorney Whitney Barr stated in the firm’s announcement of the lawsuit.
The complaint alleges that the harm extended well beyond the arena. Following the live broadcast, WWE and Ford allegedly posted footage of the encounter to their official social media accounts. According to the lawsuit, WWE’s posts received more than 300,000 views, while audience recordings also circulated widely. Although WWE and Ford eventually removed their posts, other recordings remained publicly accessible when the lawsuit was filed.
Lucas alleges that the exposure subjected him to humiliation, emotional distress, and reputational harm. When he returned to his courthouse duties the following day, members of the public allegedly recognized him and mocked him by imitating Ford’s movements. The complaint further alleges that Lucas’s children experienced ridicule from their peers because of the videos.
The lawsuit asserts 14 counts, including claims under the Illinois Gender Violence Act and Illinois Right of Publicity Act, along with claims for battery, assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent supervision, negligent retention, and false light invasion of privacy. It challenges both the alleged conduct at the event and the subsequent unauthorized commercial use of Lucas’s image and likeness.
The media coverage has examined several aspects of the case. Sports Illustrated’s wrestling outlet, The Takedown on SI, reported on the allegations arising from Ford’s entrance and Lucas’s claim that the encounter occurred without his consent. Its coverage also addressed the alleged impact of the footage’s circulation on Lucas and his family.
The New York Post covered the lawsuit’s allegations of unwanted contact, the spread of the footage on social media, and Lucas’s claim that his image was used commercially without authorization.
Closer to home, the Chicago Sun-Times highlighted Lucas’s security assignment and quoted Barr’s explanation that he was following instructions to remain at his post. The newspaper also reported on the alleged personal consequences of the videos’ circulation.
For our firm, the case centers on consent, dignity, and accountability for the treatment of people working at entertainment events. Lucas’s complaint maintains that his security assignment did not authorize unwanted sexualized contact or the promotional use of his identity.
Lucas is represented by Caffarelli & Martin Ltd. attorneys Alexis D. Martin and Whitney L. Barr. The case, Lucas v. World Wrestling Entertainment, LLC, et al., No. 2026-L-012318, remains pending in the Circuit Court of Cook County.
