BJJ black belt Derek Moneyberg has misplaced a authorized battle towards YouTuber Spencer Cornelia after a case spanning practically 5 years got here to an finish in early 2026. The appellate courtroom ruling marks a win for content material creators going through lawsuits from rich people making an attempt to silence criticism.
Derek Moneyberg’s Authorized Gamble Backfires: Court docket Dismisses Defamation Go well with In opposition to Content material Creator Spencer Cornelia
Moneyberg, whose actual title is Dale Buczkowski, filed the defamation lawsuit in June 2021 after Cornelia printed movies inspecting his enterprise practices. The case centered on interviews Cornelia performed with John Anthony Life-style (actual title John Mulvehill), a relationship coach who mentioned his private experiences with Moneyberg. Cornelia himself made no defamatory statements in the course of the movies, serving as an alternative as an interviewer.
The US District Court docket for the District of Nevada granted abstract judgment in favor of Cornelia in September 2023, dismissing all claims. Moneyberg appealed the choice in October 2023, dragging the case via the Ninth Circuit Court docket of Appeals for an extra two years. Oral arguments passed off on December 9, 2025, and the appellate courtroom issued its ruling in late December 2025 or early January 2026.
The appellate court ruled in Cornelia’s favor, dismissing claims of defamation, intentional infliction of emotional misery, and enterprise disparagement. The ruling additionally affirmed the dismissal of Lanham Act claims. The choice represents a whole victory on the deserves in each courts and units binding precedent for federal district courts inside the Ninth Circuit, which incorporates California, Nevada, and Arizona.
Cornelia collected $435,000 in authorized prices over the five-year interval. Whereas he gained the case on abstract judgment, the district courtroom choose denied his anti-SLAPP (Strategic Litigation In opposition to Public Participation) movement regardless of acknowledging that Cornelia didn’t act with precise malice or reckless disregard for the reality. Beneath Nevada’s anti-SLAPP legislation, a profitable movement would have assured Cornelia’s restoration of legal professional charges plus a $10,000 reward.
The appellate courtroom initially dismissed the anti-SLAPP difficulty as moot since abstract judgment had already been granted. Cornelia filed a petition for rehearing on January 8, 2026, arguing that dismissing the anti-SLAPP declare would go away poor and middle-class defendants with no entry to justice towards rich plaintiffs. The appellate courtroom ordered Moneyberg to reply, indicating the panel of judges could rule on the anti-SLAPP movement.
Moneyberg gained consideration within the fight sports activities world in 2025 after receiving a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt from Jake Shields in underneath 4 years, sparking controversy inside the BJJ group. Most practitioners take 10 to 13 years to earn a black belt. The state of affairs escalated when UFC fighter Sean Strickland publicly accused Moneyberg of exploiting low-paid fighters to advertise monetary schemes. Moneyberg introduced in September 2025 that he was submitting a defamation lawsuit towards Strickland.
