The Dan Bilzerian lawsuit picture is not one case but a cluster of them, most tied to his removal from Ignite International Brands, the vape and lifestyle company he founded. He is the plaintiff in civil actions against his father Paul Bilzerian and Ignite’s current leadership, the defendant in an Ignite suit that produced a worldwide injunction against him competing in the vape business, and a non-party to the federal criminal and SEC fraud cases targeting his father and the company. A separate Bilzerian holding company is in Chapter 7 liquidation.
Why Dan Bilzerian Is Suing in the First Place
In December 2023, Dan Bilzerian was left as Ignite’s sole director after every other director resigned under a shareholders’ agreement. Six months later, in June 2024, International Investments Ltd., a St. Kitts entity holding a 21% voting stake, sent a letter claiming to represent 51.8% of shareholders and terminated Dan as chairman. Ignite installed new directors, including Greg Gilpin-Payne and Scott Rohleder, and labeled Dan a “former director.”1Courthouse News Service. Influencer Dan Bilzerian Says He Was Illegally Ousted From Company He Founded
Dan holds a 46.5% voting stake, making him the largest single shareholder. He contends International Investments Ltd. is controlled by his father, Paul Bilzerian, and that the new directors act as proxies. He has called the removal a “coup orchestrated by his father.”2The Deep Dive. Ousted Ignite CEO Dan Bilzerian Sues Father Over Brand Misuse Ignite was built almost entirely around Dan’s public persona, which his own filings describe as “the essence of the company’s business.”1Courthouse News Service. Influencer Dan Bilzerian Says He Was Illegally Ousted From Company He Founded
The $50 Million Nevada Lawsuit (Dismissed)
On November 12, 2024, Dan filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada seeking $50 million in damages. He named Paul Bilzerian, Ignite, former CEO Scott Rohleder, and current CEO Rupy Dhadwar as defendants. The complaint accused them of pushing him out without authorization, then exploiting his “recognizable likeness for their own benefit while tarnishing his name and reputation.” He also alleged they told suppliers and distributors he was “legally prevented from competing with Ignite” to sabotage his future ventures.3Las Vegas Review-Journal. Dan Bilzerian Sues His Own Father in Corporate Fight
The case did not survive. On October 3, 2025, Judge Richard F. Boulware II dismissed the suit without prejudice, ruling the court lacked personal jurisdiction. Websites and social media accessible to Nevada residents, the judge held, were not enough to establish purposeful availment of the forum.4PACER Monitor. Bilzerian v. Ignite International Brands, LTD et al
The Live Case: British Columbia Reinstatement Petition
After Nevada, Dan refiled in the Supreme Court of British Columbia, where Ignite is incorporated. His petition, filed November 10, 2025, alleges he was illegally stripped of his roles and asks the court to reinstate him as chairman. He also claims he has been excluded from operations, prevented from voting his shares, and barred from selling his stake. Trial is scheduled for January 2027.1Courthouse News Service. Influencer Dan Bilzerian Says He Was Illegally Ousted From Company He Founded
Held in Contempt Over Social Media Passwords
A side dispute in the B.C. litigation involves Ignite’s social media accounts, which Dan had controlled as the company’s public face. He refused to turn over the passwords. On February 11, 2025, Justice Michael Tammen found him in contempt, writing that “Mr. Bilzerian still does not accept that he is no longer the sole director of Ignite.” Dan was ordered to pay $10,000 to Ignite.5CTV News. BC Court Bars Influencer Bilzerian From Selling Vapes in Non-Competition Order6CBC News. Court Bars Dan Bilzerian From Promoting Vape Products By late March 2025, Justice Alison Latimer found he still had not complied and remained in contempt.
The Worldwide Non-Competition Injunction
After his ouster, Dan incorporated a new company in July 2024, SAVH LLC, to sell vapes under the brand “Sex Addict.” Ignite sued to shut it down, arguing Dan still owed fiduciary duties to the company.6CBC News. Court Bars Dan Bilzerian From Promoting Vape Products
In late March or early April 2025, Justice Latimer granted a sweeping injunction barring Dan from competing with Ignite anywhere in the world until the litigation resolves. He cannot lend his name or likeness to marketing any vape products other than Ignite’s, and SAVH LLC cannot manufacture, distribute, or sell vapes. Latimer ruled the worldwide scope was “necessary to ensure its effectiveness” given Dan’s global marketing reach, and that competition would cause Ignite “irreparable harm.”7CBC News. Court Bars Dan Bilzerian From Promoting Vape Products Dan has said the injunction, in effect since March 2025, prevents him from earning a living in his field.1Courthouse News Service. Influencer Dan Bilzerian Says He Was Illegally Ousted From Company He Founded
The Federal Criminal Case (Dan Is Not Charged)
In late September 2024, a federal grand jury in the Central District of California returned a nine-count indictment against Paul Bilzerian, Scott Rohleder, and Ignite International Brands. The charges include conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and securities fraud, and multiple wire fraud counts.8Las Vegas Review-Journal. Dan Bilzerian’s Company and Father Face Criminal Charges
Prosecutors allege Paul Bilzerian exercised “de facto control” over Ignite while his son was the public CEO. Paul and Rohleder, according to the Los Angeles Times account of the indictment, ran “operations, strategy, marketing and fundraising” and held “daily management meetings.” When investigators surfaced Paul’s role, Ignite publicly called him and Rohleder “unpaid consultants.” The indictment alleges that from December 2018 through September 2024 the defendants conspired to keep the SEC from collecting on judgments against Paul exceeding $180 million, stemming from his 1989 securities fraud conviction.9Los Angeles Times. Paul Bilzerian Cannabis Company
Rohleder was arrested on September 27, 2024. All defendants have pleaded not guilty. A jury trial for Rohleder and Ignite was scheduled for May 19, 2025, though the Department of Justice case page, last updated May 27, 2026, does not indicate whether the trial proceeded.10U.S. Department of Justice. United States v. Paul Bilzerian, Scott Rohleder, and Ignite International Brands, Ltd. Dan Bilzerian is not a defendant in the criminal case.3Las Vegas Review-Journal. Dan Bilzerian Sues His Own Father in Corporate Fight
Paul Bilzerian had been living in St. Kitts when the indictment came down. In April 2026, reports emerged that he had been arrested there and was negotiating a bond agreement while extradition proceedings moved forward. The Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force had not officially confirmed the arrest in the most recent reporting.11Stockwatch. Paul Bilzerian Arrest Report12Times Caribbean Online. Paul Bilzerian Arrest Report
The Parallel SEC Civil Case
On the same day the criminal case was announced, the SEC filed a civil complaint in the Southern District of New York. SEC v. Ignite International Brands, Ltd. et al. names Paul Bilzerian, Scott Rohleder, former Ignite President and COO John Schaefer, former CFO Paul Dowdall, Ignite, International Investments Ltd., the auditing firm Accell Audit & Compliance, and engagement partner Christopher Hiestand.13U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. SEC Litigation Release No. 26138
The SEC alleges Ignite booked roughly $5 million in non-existent sales of disposable vape pens in the fourth quarter of 2020. The company issued false invoices to a customer who had never ordered the product and disputed the charges. When that customer refused to confirm the invoices, the defendants allegedly moved the transaction onto the books of International Investments Ltd., which the SEC says Paul Bilzerian also controlled. The agency is seeking permanent injunctions, civil penalties, and officer and director bars.13U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. SEC Litigation Release No. 26138
Two defendants settled fast. On December 20, 2024, Christopher Hiestand consented to a permanent injunction and a $50,000 civil penalty; Accell Audit & Compliance consented to a permanent injunction and a $75,000 penalty. Both settled without admitting or denying the allegations. As of mid-2026, Paul Bilzerian, Rohleder, Schaefer, and Dowdall have not settled and have repeatedly sought extensions to respond.14CourtListener. SEC v. Ignite International Brands, Ltd. Docket Dan Bilzerian is not named in the SEC case.
Other Lawsuits Involving Dan Bilzerian
Trademark Infringement Suit
On September 17, 2025, Dan Bilzerian filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Paul Bilzerian, Rupy Dhadwar, Ignite, and Scott Rohleder in the Central District of California. It was voluntarily dismissed without prejudice on February 17, 2026, after his counsel withdrew and no replacement immediately appeared.15PACER Monitor. Dan Brandon Bilzerian v. Ignite International Brands, Ltd. et al
Indemnification Claim Tied to the Heffernan Defamation Case
In May 2025, Dan sued Ignite in the Central District of California seeking indemnification for legal costs from a defamation suit brought by former Ignite officer Curtis Heffernan. Heffernan had sued Dan and Ignite in 2020, alleging whistleblower retaliation, wrongful termination, and defamation over a statement Dan gave to TMZ calling Heffernan’s suit “frivolous” and “ridiculous” after firing him for alleged “incompetence and negligence.”16Workplace Justice. Heffernan v. Bilzerian, B311531 A California appellate court affirmed in October 2022 that the defamation claim could proceed, rejecting an anti-SLAPP motion.17Metropolitan News-Enterprise. Anti-SLAPP Rulings The indemnification case was dismissed by stipulation on February 23, 2026.18CourtListener. Dan Bilzerian v. Ignite International Brands, Ltd. Docket
Blitz NV Bankruptcy
Blitz NV, a holding company wholly owned by a Bilzerian entity called Goat Works, filed Chapter 11 in September 2023, one day before a deadline to pay nearly $487,000 owed to Steel Supplements under a settlement from a breached endorsement deal. Blitz reported about $34,000 in cash on hand, $9.6 million in assets (mostly loans to other Bilzerian-controlled entities), and $4.3 million in liabilities, including a $3.9 million loan from International Investments Ltd. In December 2023, the court converted the case to Chapter 7 liquidation at Steel Supplements’ request. In a related earlier proceeding, U.S. District Judge William Jung said there was “an element of ‘corporate shell game'” in Bilzerian’s legal maneuvers, noting that “all the shells are in Mr. Bilzerian’s control.”19Las Vegas Review-Journal. Top Influencer Pushes Image of Wealth and Success, but Has Lawsuits, Company in Bankruptcy
Where the Cases Stand
As of mid-2026, the picture is this. The federal criminal case against Paul Bilzerian, Rohleder, and Ignite is pending, with Paul reportedly in custody in St. Kitts awaiting extradition. The SEC civil case against the same core defendants plus additional executives is active, with the main defendants still yet to formally respond. Dan Bilzerian’s reinstatement trial in British Columbia is set for January 2027, and the worldwide injunction barring him from the vape industry remains in effect. He is not a defendant in the criminal or SEC proceedings, but he remains the largest shareholder of a company he cannot run, cannot compete with, and cannot sell his stake in.