Proud Boys Lose Trademark Rights to Historic Black Church in DC

A D.C. Superior Court judge has ruled that the Proud Boys no longer have control over their name and likeness, instead placing the rights in the hands of Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, a historic Black church in Washington, D.C. that was targeted by the far-right militia group in December 2020.

The ruling, issued Monday, transfers the “Proud Boys International LLC” trademark to Metropolitan AME and places a lien on the trademark. Additionally, the court permanently blocked the sale, transfer, or licensing of the Proud Boys name without approval from the church or the courts.

The case stems from a 2020 attack in which Proud Boys members, including their founder Enrique Tarrio, vandalized Metropolitan AME and Asbury United Methodist Church, burning a Black Lives Matter flag in the process. Tarrio was later convicted and sentenced for his role in the destruction.

Attorneys for Metropolitan AME argued that the Proud Boys committed fraud in 2021 when they transferred their trademark from the Van Dyke Organization to a shell company called Mad Aster, allegedly made up of Proud Boys members involved in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. The group failed to respond to the lawsuit, leading the judge to grant default judgment in favor of the church.

In July 2024, the church filed suit to enforce a previous ruling ordering the Proud Boys to pay $2.8 million in damages for the 2020 attack—money that had not been paid at the time of the filing. The Proud Boys failed to respond within 21 days, leading to the latest court decision handing over control of their trademark.

Following the ruling, Tarrio dismissed the decision, telling The Washington Post, “I wipe my a– with the judge’s decision.” However, with the Metropolitan AME Church now in full control of the Proud Boys’ name and branding, any use of the group’s name must go through the very institution they once attacked.

It remains unclear how much money the church will receive from the judgment.