OFFICER SUES WWE’S MONTEZ FORD OVER ALLEGED LAP DANCE
A Cook County sheriff’s officer who was working off-duty ringside security at WWE’s Monday Night Raw has sued wrestler Montez Ford, alleging Ford gave him an unwanted, sexualized lap dance during his entrance on July 6, 2026. Noel Lucas filed the Montez Ford lawsuit on October 14, 2026, in the Circuit Court of Cook County, and it also names WWE as a defendant.
The alleged incident happened at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. Ford, whose legal name is Kenneth Crawford, was making his entrance, not wrestling a match, when it allegedly took place.
Lucas says he was seated at his assigned post outside the ring. The complaint alleges Ford approached him without warning or consent and, in the words quoted by TMZ, began “performing a sexually provocative dance immediately in front of and over Plaintiff [Lucas], repeatedly thrusting and gyrating his hips and pelvis towards Plaintiff, performing a sexualized ‘lap dance.'”
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the complaint says Ford “approached him without warning, straddled him, and began repeatedly thrusting and gyrating his hips toward him in a sexually suggestive manner.” POST Wrestling reported that the suit goes further, alleging Ford moved closer and that his left inner thigh repeatedly rubbed against Lucas’s leg.
Lucas’s attorneys told FOX 32 Chicago that he was not told he would be part of the performance and did not consent. They also said, “the nature of the entertainment event does not excuse the conduct or eliminate the requirement of consent.”
The moment was allegedly shown during a live Netflix broadcast. FOX 32 reported the lawsuit says WWE later posted video of it on TikTok and Instagram, where it drew more than 300,000 views, and that Ford shared footage too.
Lucas alleges he was recognized and mocked online and at work, which he called humiliating. He also alleges his children were teased because of it.
The defendants include Event Services, LLC, a WWE subsidiary, Yahoo Sports reported. The complaint runs to 14 counts, among them assault, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. It also includes claims under the Illinois Gender Violence Act and the Illinois Right of Publicity Act, the latter targeting the alleged use of his image.
Lucas is seeking an unspecified amount in damages, plus punitive damages and legal costs. He also wants a court order barring WWE and Ford from using his identity, and he has asked for a jury trial. The allegations have not been proven in court.
Ford was 36 when TMZ reported on the suit and had been with WWE for 11 years. He teams with Angelo Dawkins as the Street Profits, and the pair have held the NXT, Raw, SmackDown and WWE Tag Team Championships, among other titles.
A case-management hearing is set for December 10, 2026.
On October 28, 2026, former WWE wrestler and attorney David Otunga weighed in on his YouTube channel after newly surfaced footage of the moment appeared. Wrestling Inc. quoted him as saying: “This new footage appears to show repeated contact.”
Otunga said a jury could reasonably find unwanted rubbing during a sexualized dance offensive, though Ford could argue any contact was incidental to the dance. “These are civil claims, so we’re talking about liability and damages. They’re not criminal,” he said, adding: “But you can be trying to make somebody laugh and still cross a legal line.”
