Dan Bilzerian found in contempt of a BC court over Instagram account

A man once called the “King of Instagram” was found to be in contempt of court in BC for failing to give up control of a social media account.

Shareholders of the cannabis company Ignite convinced a BC judge to order Dan Bilzerian to relinquish the Instagram log-in after he was accused of tarnishing Ignite’s brand with antisemitic social media posts, according to court documents.

Dan Bilzerian once owned Ignite, but when its shareholders wrestled control from him, he filed in BC Supreme Court to take it back. While the business faces a securities commission investigation over alleged fraud, Bilzerian was stripped of ownership.

On Oct. 30, 2024, a BC Supreme Court judge ordered Bilzerian give up Ignite’s Instagram account. He refused.

He still didn’t give up the account by February, prompting BC Supreme Court Justice Michael Tammen to find Bilzerian in contempt of court. He was also ordered to pay Ignite $10,000, according to a recently published decision.

The court order came with the condition that Ignite cannot use the social media account to post Bilzerian’s name, image or likeness.

Bilzerian gave the court “various” reasons not to comply for the order, including his belief that Ignite would post his likeness on the account. Tammen found “that is not a reason” to ignore a court order. The other reason was his continued belief he was wrongfully removed from ownership of the company. He hasn’t convinced the court.

It’s not clear if he has yet complied, but all posts to the Ignite social media page have been removed.

The dispute over ownership of Ignite and antisemitic posts on his personal accounts continue all while Bilzerian’s former company is at the centre of a US fraud indictment, which alleges it was his father who secretly owned the company.

Bilzerian’s father, Paul Bilzerian, was once convicted a securities fraud and owes the US government more than $180 million in a decades-old unpaid judgement.

Dan Bilzerian became known widely largely through social media for posting photos of a lavish lifestyle, often pictured with models. He claims he made his wealth through gambling.