Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church Wins Entry of Default Against Proud Boys International

Paul, Weiss achieved a major victory for the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church when Judge Heidi Pasichow of D.C. Superior Court granted Metropolitan AME’s motion for entry of default against Defendant Proud Boys International, L.L.C. (PBI), the governing entity for the all-male extremist group known as the Proud Boys.

Metropolitan AME’s lawsuit alleges that the Proud Boys conspired and agreed to commit intentional unlawful acts in an effort to attack those who support racial justice, including the Black Lives Matter movement. Metropolitan AME, like other nearby churches showing support for the Black Lives Matter movement, suffered from the Proud Boys’ coordinated acts of violence when Proud Boys members leapt over a fence surrounding the church, and tore down and destroyed a large Black Lives Matter sign that Metropolitan AME was displaying.

For the first time in the litigation, defendant Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, chairman of the Proud Boys, made an appearance in the initial status conference. The court admonished Tarrio for his delinquency and gave him a final three-week extension to respond to the complaint.

The Paul, Weiss team includes litigation partners Daniel Kramer, Jeannie Rhee and Andrew Ehrlich, and associates Erin Morgan, Lissette Duran, Alexandra Gordon, Will Kukin, Sarah Joseph, Adrian Villalobos, Ashley Hall, Eric Abrams, Jillian Gray, O’Ryan Moore, Marisa Papenfuss and Clay Wild; and tax associate Laetitia Baya Yantren. Co-counsel on the matter are the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs.