A judge has awarded Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, in Washington D.C, control over the Proud Boys trademark after the far-right group defaulted on a $2.8 million judgment.
This decision follows the group’s 2020 attack on the church, where they vandalized the church’s Black Lives Matter sign by tearing it down and stomping on it.
The ruling enforces a $2.8 million default judgment against the Proud Boys, requiring them to compensate the church for damages. As a result, the Proud Boys can no longer use or sell merchandise with their trademark without the church’s approval. Any money earned from the use of the name will go to the church to help cover the damages.
Rev. William H. Lamar IV, the church’s leader, said they are committed to holding the Proud Boys accountable. He told CNN, “The Church has a long history of standing up for justice and against all forms of hate. We are determined to hold the Proud Boys accountable and we will continue this fight.”
Enrique Tarrio, the group’s former chairman, said in a lengthy statement posted to X that the church “must be subjected to a thorough audit, and its non-profit status revoked immediately.” He added, “this church has engaged in a campaign of harassment and falsehoods, evidenced by their every filed motion.”
Tarrio confessed to participating in the burnings and was later sentenced to more than five months in jail on those and other charges. Tarrio was later sentenced to 22 years in federal prison for orchestrating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot.
He was recently pardoned by President Trump as part of a broader clemency decision.
The legal ruling delivers a financial setback for the Proud Boys, stripping them of their name and directing profits from its use to the church they once targeted.