US federal judge sanctions influencer pro se litigant for insulting counsel, ignoring court orders

Published Jul 28, 04:49 PM UTC

A federal judge in the Southern District of Florida, David Leibowitz, issued a sanctions order against pro se defendant Charles A. Peralo, a social media influencer with millions of followers, for repeatedly failing to obey court orders and engaging in abusive conduct. Peralo, who is being sued for libel stemming from a copyright infringement claim, missed multiple deadlines, refused to participate in a joint scheduling report despite 13 email follow-ups, and sent insulting emails to opposing counsel, including calling them a 'fat f***ing loser' and a 'f***ing moron.' He also threatened to send a bag of dog feces to the plaintiff's office. The court found his conduct amounted to bad faith and ordered him to pay $1,000 into the court's sanction fund by August 14, 2026, warning that further misconduct would result in more severe sanctions. The judge noted that Peralo's earlier motion to dismiss bore 'indicia of AI-generated material.'