A judge on Tuesday granted Hilo businesswoman Lorraine Shin a one-year order for protection from her son, former two-division UFC champion BJ Penn.
Under the order issued by Hilo Family Court Judge Jeffrey Ng, Penn is not to contact his mother, including via phone or text, prior to May 26, 2026 — a year from when she originally sought projection.
During Tuesday’s continuation of an evidentiary hearing in the TRO case, Shin requested a two-year order for protection, but Ng granted Shin’s original request, a one-year order. The judge said the 79-year-old Shin had proven her allegations of “domestic abuse and/or extreme psychological abuse” by a preponderance of the evidence presented in court.
Penn, 46, who wore a black surgical mask covering his nose and mouth during all recent court proceedings, stood up and walked out of the courtroom while Ng was reading the terms and conditions of the order.
Ng said Penn would be served with a copy of those terms and conditions by a police officer or officer of the court.
Shin cross-examined Penn on Tuesday after he presented his case as to why the order should not be granted.
“Do you admit that over the past several months, you have accused me of not being your mother, an imposter who is trying to steal the family assets?” Shin asked.
“Yes,” Penn replied.
“Do you admit that you had said publicly that your mother and brothers have been murdered?” Shin asked.
“Yes,” Penn answered.
“Do you have any proof or evidence that your mother and your brothers have been murdered?” she queried.
“I guess it depends on how you define proof,” he replied.
“DNA, past records, fingerprints,”she said.
Shin reiterated her belief that Penn suffers from Capgras syndrome, a psychological disorder in which the sufferer believes close associates have been replaced by lookalike imposters.
She accused Penn of stealing her purse containing her driver’s license, passport and credit card, plus a safe from her room, jewelry and clothes. Penn made the claim that Shin and his brothers were murdered and replaced by imposters both in social media posts and in court.
Shin said in court that she has provided a three-bedroom house for BJ Penn to live in while he is legally restricted from setting foot on the Puueo Street property. Penn, whose legal name is Jay Dee Penn, said he was the only one among his siblings who put money into any of the family properties and asserted “all the houses are mine.”
A snippet of surveillance video taken on the evening of May 25 at the Puueo Street home where both Penn and Shin lived was shown in court Tuesday. A silver-grey sedan could be seen in the darkness, and then the beam of a high-powered flashlight.
Shin, who claimed Penn had shined the flashlight in her face and pushed her against the sedan to keep her from calling 911 to report a theft of her mail, could be heard screaming “hit me” and calling for help from another son, Reagan Penn, who lives nearby.
Penn was arrested three times in a three-week period in late May to mid-June, the first two times coming during the Memorial Day weekend.
The first time was for domestic abuse when Penn allegedly shoved Shin against the sedan when she confronted him about the missing mail. The second arrest was after he purportedly returned to the house after being ordered to stay away for 48 hours subsequent to being booked for the abuse charge. He was arrested a third time for violating a TRO on June 12 for returning to the Puueo Street property again.
All three charges are misdemeanors. Penn has trials scheduled for Oct. 20 in two cases and Nov. 3 in the third in Hilo Circuit Court, and is currently free on $2,000 bail.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
