Judge Blasts Proud Boy’s Bid to Nix Black Church’s Trademark Win

Washington’s Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church kept its trademark win over a leader of the far-right group Proud Boys after a federal judge found his four-months-late answer—filed during the default judgment hearing—“reeks of bad faith.”

Hudson Valley Proud Boys leader William Pepe’s counsel’s “inadvertent calendaring error” justification “strains credulity,” Judge Katherine P. Familia of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York said Thursday. Pepe hadn’t been heard from by the court in more than six months and knew of the deadline, said Familia, who was “disturbed” by Pepe’s counsel’s explanation.

The order striking Pepe’s belatedly filed ...