Indefatigable: The Unbreakable Spirit

By Sensei Terrell R. Tucker (Terry)

There is a word that perfectly captures the essence of certain rare individuals: indefatigable. It describes someone who is extremely persistent, untiring, and utterly incapable of being fatigued—a person who demonstrates relentless energy and determination in their efforts, no matter the odds.

In my life, I have known one person who embodies this word entirely. His name is Barron Shepherd.

A Bond Forged on the Mats

My own journey in the martial arts began early in 1972 when I started training in Judo. My instructor was Korean, traditionally strict, and became a massive influence on my life. I earned my first-degree black belt in 1978 and have advanced in rank in the decades since.

My association with Barron began around 1990 or 1991. He had been talking to a mutual friend, expressing dissatisfaction with his experiences and training at some of the local martial arts schools. I was recommended to him, an introduction was made, and Barron immediately began training under me at the Winter Haven Judo Club.

There is a unique bond that develops between a martial arts instructor and a long-term student. I believe this is especially true in a close-contact art like Judo, where you must master not only your own body and its movements, but learn to control someone else's. A special trust is earned in that arena. Instructors often view these long-term students like their own children; later, as time passes, they are viewed as brothers, sisters, and colleagues. I view Barron as one of these students.

The Hunger for Knowledge

From the very beginning, I don’t think Barron ever missed a single class. He possessed an unusual drive and a deep hunger for Judo. Early on, I remember visiting his home and seeing a wealth of information at his disposal—shelves packed with books and videos on Judo and various martial arts. If Barron read or watched something and found value in it, he didn’t just consume it; he studied, analyzed, and thoroughly dissected it.

While Winter Haven Judo Club was always his home, Barron's curiosity constantly pushed him outside of his comfort zone. He would venture out to train at other dojos to expand his perspective, always continuing his core training with me.

In my dojo, ranks are never given away. There are no shortcuts taken, and no time is ever shaved off. If we drilled a throw a thousand times on the right side, we drilled it just as many times on the left.

Barron earned his Judo black belt after seven years of rigorous training, becoming my very first black belt student. I have always believed in preparing a student for the rank above the one they are testing for. In other words, Barron had been prepared to meet the standard of a second-degree black belt just to attain his first. To me, reaching the true rank of black belt means you finally have the tools to begin really learning. Barron understood this; he pushed on, obtained higher ranks under me, and kept moving forward. For him, the push was never about the physical belt—it was about obtaining knowledge and sharing it with others.

Surviving the Unsurvivable

Throughout his life, no matter what obstacles were thrown his way, Barron remained stubbornly connected to Judo and physical training. But his ultimate test came when he was in his 50s.

Barron was hit and run over by a semi-truck. It was an accident that would have been life-ending for almost anyone else. His body was literally crushed and then dragged for about 100 feet. The tires of the heavy truck ran directly over his body and his head.

He sustained catastrophic, life-altering injuries. His face and body were torn from being dragged; he suffered multiple breaks and fractures, severe nerve damage, and his spinal cord was literally flattened. By all medical logic, it was an accident that should have killed him.

Doctors and experts later stated that Barron’s years of intense Judo training were instrumental in his survival; his body possessed a physical resilience built over decades. However, because of the severe flattening of his spinal cord, doctors and specialists delivered a grim verdict: he would never do Judo again. His life as he knew it was over.

"Putting the Semi Truck in the Guard"

The medical community could no longer help him, and many of his closest friends and family members believed he would never be able to do much of anything again. They asked him to accept the reality of his circumstances.

But Barron refused to yield.

Without any external help, Barron began a solo rehabilitation process. It was by no means an easy task. It required years of grueling, painful, and painstaking retraining. My sons and I jokingly say that Barron put that semi-truck in "The Guard."

His drive became entirely undaunted. He focused his mind to an unfathomable degree, enduring a level of pain that he still carries to this day. Entirely on his own, despite the doubts of those around him, he chose to fight back. Not only did he get himself back into amazing physical condition, but his Judo is better now than it has ever been.

"He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his head and his hands is a craftsman. He who works with his hands, his head and his heart is an artist." — Attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi

I say that he who does all of this and shares it with others is more than an artist. He is truly blessed.

Barron's absolute commitment to his training and his recovery has rightfully garnered him wide acclaim. Refusing to rest on his laurels or past accomplishments, now in his 60's, he still steps onto the mats every single day training as if he still hungers to improve, constantly pushing the boundaries of his own knowledge. A true force of nature.

As an instructor, he understands that teaching develops a greater comprehension of a subject; as an author, his writing continues to deepen that communication.

Barron is, in a single word, indefatigable.

The End of Anonymous: Traced, Tagged, and Exposed

There is a particular kind of desperation behind every martial arts fraud—a mix of unearned arrogance and buried fear. Recently, someone has been calling my school, claiming to be local yet the number traces back to a device pinging out of  a city in Ohio. 

That alone tells the story.

The Real Clown Show 

Frauds follow a predictable pattern: they will not step on the mats, and they will not face you directly. Instead, they hide behind fake numbers, burner phones, and fake facebook profiles, convincing themselves they cant be found.

They can.

There is no such thing as an untraceable call, message, or account. Every action leaves a trail—cell tower data, IP logs, account records. It all connects. Claiming to be in Florida while your signal pings from Ohio is not clever. It is evidence.

Every desperate move to stay hidden—spoofed numbers, fake Facebook profiles, repeated contact—does not protect them. It builds a case. They are not covering their tracks; they are documenting their own downfall. Everything is traced, identified, and recorded—including my business line.

You are not invisible. You are leaving a trail. You are digging your hole. You will more than likely end up in jail right next to your mini me who isn’t that smart either.

Formal Notice: Imminent Service of Process

Legal counsel has confirmed that formal paperwork is finalized and service of this lawsuit is forthcoming.

Capt. or former Capt. DD (USAF); 

I will show you a small measure of respect by not using your full name at this time. Beyond that, this civil action will seek maximum formal damages for defamation, along side intentional and malicious interference with professional relations. The lawsuit directly addresses your purposeful and outright malicious misrepresentations as well as the deliberate fabrication of your own claimed martial arts ranks.

The Paper Trail Doesn't Lie: Inside the Dismissal of Bret Gordon’s Defamation Lawsuit

When a civil lawsuit concludes, the public is often left with two competing narratives: the spin broadcasted on social media, and the cold, hard reality documented in the court docket. Recent filings from the Lake County courthouse have laid bare the definitive end to a bitter, five-year legal battle—and the results completely contradict Gordon's public narrative of some sort of battlefield victory.

On May 8, 2026, Lake County Case Number 35‑2020‑CA‑001851—the defamation suit levied by self proclaimed martial arts figure Bret Gordon against critic Dale Dugas—was officially dismissed and closed by the presiding judge. Despite public claims by Gordon dating back to July 2023 that he had "won" or "prevailed" in the matter, the actual court records paint a starkly different picture: an enforceable win never happened. There was no restitution awarded, no sanctions enforced against the defendant, and zero damages or monetary awards granted to the plaintiff.

The case simply flatlined. 

An Admission in the Pleadings

The unraveling of the lawsuit began long before the final gavel fell. According to court filings dated February 27, 2026, the plaintiff’s own legal team effectively dismantled their own case for defamation.

In defamation law, a strict boundary exists between fabricating a malicious lie and bringing forward existing allegations wrapped in legitimate legal scrutiny. In these filings, Gordon's counsel acknowledged that the defendant, Dale Dugas, was raising allegations of unlawful conduct as part of his defense and public criticism. Strikingly, the filings framed Dugas’s actions not as inventing a slanderous fantasy, but as "outing" or disclosing existing information.

Attorneys are bound by strict ethical requirements of candor to the court. They cannot plausibly present a client as entirely free of legal issues while simultaneously managing active allegations of criminal conduct. Because the plaintiff's own submissions repeatedly referenced investigations by Alabama authorities and heavily scrutinized fraudulent black belt rank claims, the lawsuit itself admitted that these controversies were relevant and grounded in real-world scrutiny—not cooked up by "haters." 

In short, Dugas hadn't defamed Gordon; he had held up a mirror to Gordon's actual background.

Five Years of Silence

For more than five years, the lawsuit languished on the docket. Throughout this extensive timeline, the plaintiffs failed to produce any evidence whatsoever of actual defamation, nor did they provide any proof backing Gordon's numerous public martial arts pedigree claims. They simply ignored filings made by the defendant, leaving them unanswered and uncontested. 

Those uncontested filings showed Gordon changing his martial arts background story every time it was questioned and or debunked. Those uncontested filings now stand as a matter of record....proving Gordon was not forthcoming with any proof of any ranks he claimed to possess. 

By October 2025, the court’s patience had run out. A formal Notice of Failure to Prosecute was issued to the plaintiffs. The legal clock was ticking, and the case was already on life support.

Playing Fire with the Court: Contempt and Fraud Allegations

The final act of this litigation highlights a massive legal miscalculation that extends far beyond a simple loss. When a civil suit ends, the parties typically reach a compromise, a settlement is drawn up, and the case is quietly dismissed. However, following an agreement, Gordon reportedly refused to sign the final paperwork in a last-ditch effort to keep the litigation alive or circumvent the terms.

In a court of law, this maneuver is not a loophole—it is a trapdoor. By turning a routine settlement closure into a direct standoff with the judiciary, the plaintiffs have opened the door to severe institutional backlash. Because the plaintiff refused to honor a court-mandated settlement after agreeing to the terms on the record, the timeline has shifted from standard civil bickering into a direct conflict with the authority of the bench.

Consequently, the plaintiffs are now potentially staring down severe legal exposure:

Contempt of Court Sanctions: Intentionally violating an agreement or obstructing a court mandate can result in heavy financial penalties, assignment of the opposing side's attorney fees, and disciplinary actions.

Fraud upon the Court: By allegedly fabricating a narrative, lacking any evidentiary backing for five years, and attempting to circumvent agreed-upon settlement terms, the behavior edges into "fraud upon the court"—a serious offense involving conduct that intentionally defiles the integrity of the judicial system.

Because Gordon refused to cooperate, the judge ultimately took the wheel, bypassed the plaintiffs entirely, and shut the case down. The lawsuit will likely now add dismissed with prejudice, meaning it is permanently closed and can never be refiled.

The Takeaway

If the plaintiffs in this case attempt to revive the exact same dispute by altering the wording, going after someone else, or filing under a different name, the defense will immediately present the prior dismissal. Under the doctrine of res judicata (claim preclusion), the judge will promptly throw the new case out because the matter has already received a final judgment.

Furthermore, individuals who habitually file baseless, previously dismissed actions risk being designated as "vexatious litigants." Such a label legally restricts them from filing any future lawsuits without first obtaining explicit permission from a judge.

The Bottom Line

This specific legal battle is officially over, and hiring new counsel cannot grant the plaintiffs a do-over. 

Ultimately, the official court docket tells the definitive story. The plaintiffs were not denied due process; they had five years to produce supporting evidence and failed to do so. This extensive paper trail leaves zero room for public relations spin: the allegations lacked substance, the defense was entirely justified, and the lawsuit was conclusively dismantled.

UPDATE: Critical Agreement Requirement – Dismissal With Prejudice Within Ten Days

The settlement agreement in this case was signed by the plaintiffs and appears to have been submitted to the court on June 5, 2026, and it includes a specific, binding obligation: the plaintiffs must submit a dismissal with prejudice within ten days of the entrance of the agreement. This is not a suggestion or a courtesy request— The plaintiff's submission of a dismissal with prejudice is a court-enforceable mandate.

The plaintiffs cannot and should not attempt to construe or spin this case as a win.

Any attempt by the plaintiffs to claim they won this case is factually untrue. The case was dismissed—not won. There was no restitution awarded, no damages granted, and no sanctions enforced against the defendant. If they claim the court ruled in their favor, that is also false. The judge unilaterally dismissed the case after the plaintiffs failed to prosecute for five years, not because the court found in their favor. Requiring the plaintiffs to file their own dismissal with prejudice strongly signals that they had no evidence and cannot prove their claims.

If they threaten that they will sue again, that is equally untrue. A dismissal with prejudice bars refiling the same claim under the legal doctrine of res judicata, meaning the matter is permanently closed. The court already determined that criticisms about Gordon's martial arts background were not defamation (because they disclosed existing allegations, not fabricated lies), that same issue can't be re-litigated in a new lawsuit against someone else.

If the plaintiff’s try to downplay this as just a procedural setback, that is not a factual statement either. This is a permanent, final judgment on the merits.

And if they claim they won sanctions or were awarded money, that is pure fiction—zero monetary awards or sanctions were granted to the plaintiffs. Every one of these claims would be easily disproven by reviewing the official court docket.

Verifying the Facts

The court docket showing the entire official case history is a matter of public record. Anyone can independently review and verify these filings directly through the Lake County Clerk of Courts portal at https://courtrecords.lakecountyclerk.org/ click on case search at top of page and put in case number 35‑2020‑CA‑001851.

The Legal Reckoning for the Blackbelts of a Clermont area Martial Arts Fraud

ARTICLE DROPPING SOON......

Statement on Legal Action to Protect My Reputation

I am pursuing legal remedies regarding slanderous defamatory statements made about me in Septemberof 2025. Anyone who directly or indirectly participated in spreading false claims will be named as appropriate under the law. I will not discuss specifics publicly, other than to say the following: 

The appropriate filings and notices to be served are forthcoming. 

This action is intended to hold accountable those who disseminated false and damaging information in an attempt to assassinate my credentials and reputation. Those who acted directly, and those who aided or encouraged the spread of these statements, will be included in the litigation where the law permits. 

I take this seriously and will pursue justice through the courts. Those who chose to spread false claims either directly or indirectly, should understand that their actions have consequences under both civil and criminal law. 

I will not settle with any of those involved. I will NOT settle for anything less than the maximum relief such civil and criminal litigation actions will allow. 

DEFAMATION SUIT DISMISSED

In filings in Bret Gordon’s defamation suit dated February 27, 2026, the plaintiff’s  effectively acknowledges that the defendant, Dale Dugas, raised allegations of Bret Gordon’s alleged unlawful conduct as part of his defense and criticism. The filing notably frames Dale Dugas’s actions as “outing” or bringing forward this information, rather than inventing it, or actual defamation. This is an important distinction that ties the disputed statements directly to claims about Gordon’s own conduct.

Attorneys are ethically required to present facts to the court with candor. Accordingly, plaintiff’s counsel could not plausibly portray Gordon as free of relevant legal issues while simultaneously addressing allegations involving criminal conduct or ongoing investigations. The filing itself references investigations by Alabama authorities multiple times, underscoring their relevance to the case.

In effect, the plaintiff’s own submissions placed before the court the existence of serious allegations and legal scrutiny, while characterizing the defendant’s role as one of disclosure rather than fabrication or defamation.

For over 5 years the Plaintiffs produced no evidence of actual defamation nor any proof of the plaintiff's many martial arts claims in their own defamation suit. 

In October of 2025 a notice of Failure to Prosecute was issued to the plaintiff's by the courts. 

According to court records, 5/8/2026, Gordons lawsuit, Lake County case number 35‑2020‑CA‑001851, was dismissed and closed by the judge (see below). Follow Link below and search records by using above case number ; https://courtrecords.lakecountyclerk.org/  

This outcome directly contradicts public statements that Gordon made claiming he prevailed in his lawsuit......in any capacity. In fact, court records indicate that no restitution was awarded, no sanctions enforced, no damages or monetary awards were granted to the plaintiff (see above). 

Almost two years ago, July 7th, 2023, Gordon stated online publicly on Facebook that he “won” his defamation case (see screencaps). 

However, the actual court records dont read the way Gordon spins it. 

The filings appear to show that Gordon’s own side didn’t even try to pretend Dale Dugas made this stuff up. Instead, they basically framed Dugas as exposing allegations about Gordon’s conduct, including references to Alabama investigations and fraudulent black belt rank claims

In real‑world terms, that’s not defamation; that’s someone holding up a mirror to Gordon's face and Gordon not liking it.  

In defamation law, there is a hard line between inventing a lie and bringing forward existing allegations backed by real legal scrutiny. If the plaintiff’s own pleadings keep talking about investigations and serious misconduct, they’re admitting in court that the allegations are relevant and NOT some elaborate slander fantasy cooked up by critics or as Gordon calls them, "his haters".

Then comes the ugly part Gordon doesn’t want anyone to notice. For more than five years, the plaintiffs served up zilch in actual proof of defamation and sweet nothing in hard evidence backing his own martial arts claims. By October 2025, the court had had enough and dropped a failure‑to‑prosecute notice on them. 

On May 8, 2026, the Lake County case 35‑2020‑CA‑001851 was dismissed and closed by the judge. No damages. No sanctions. No restitution. No money. No enforceable win. Just a case that flatlined on the docket.

So when Gordon struts around claiming that he “prevailed,” in his lawsuit, that statement is legally fictional. 

You can’t claim battlefield victory after your lawsuit got carried out in a body bag by the court. Apparently a court decision that is not to Gordon's liking just simply doesnt apply to him. 

What did actually win out here was the the clear paper trail: the filings show serious allegations were already on the table, countless times Gordon changed his story about his martial arts background, the defendant exposing them, and that the plaintiff ultimately failed to squeeze any real legal win out of the whole mess.

If Gordon wants to talk about how the case shook out, he should start with the docket, not his spin. The court file doesn’t lie — Gordon's PR story does.