In civil litigation involving organized defamation and unlawful data distribution, individuals who receive, maintain, and conceal illegally obtained materials often operate under a false sense of security. They assume that if they did not push the "send" button themselves, they are invisible in the eyes of the law.
Eric Aucoin, a Taekwondo instructor integrated directly into
Bret Gordon’s organizational umbrella, maintained possession of an illegally extracted expunged record while operating an
affiliated commercial school and accepting unearned ranks creates direct
exposure under civil conspiracy, fraud, and tort law.
1. Receipt and Possession of Libelous Material
The evidentiary chain establishes that Bret Gordon
distributed an email containing your 30-year-old expunged record—labeled under
the false subject line "Criminal record of conviction Barron
Shepherd"—directly to his inner circle, including Eric Aucoin.
- Publication
Element of Libel Per Se: Under Florida civil law, defamation occurs
the moment a false, damaging statement is published to a third party. When
Gordon emailed Aucoin, the libel was legally completed.
- Knowledge
of Falsehood: Because an expunged record reflects charges that were
dropped, dismissed, or legally erased, distributing it as a
"conviction" constitutes direct Libel Per Se. Receiving
and retaining this material puts the recipient on direct notice of an
ongoing tort.
2. Commercial Intertwining: Branch Operations and Student
Promotions
Aucoin cannot claim to be a distant, independent third party
with no operational ties to Gordon. Aucoin operated a commercial martial arts
school directly under Gordon’s organization, creating an active business and
agency relationship:
- Direct
Financial and Organizational Tie: Aucoin relied on Gordon’s authority
to legitimate his school, utilizing Gordon’s umbrella organization to
issue student rank promotions and issue certificates.
- Shared
Enterprise: Promoting students through Gordon’s organization binds
Aucoin’s commercial interests directly to Gordon. This commercial synergy
demonstrates a joint business enterprise, making Aucoin’s school an active
branch node within Gordon's network.
3. Paper Ranks and Participation in Unaccredited
"Master" Courses
Aucoin's alignment with Gordon was reinforced through a
system of reciprocal favors and paper credentials designed to manufacture
legitimacy for both parties:
- Promotion
to 5th Degree Black Belt: Gordon elevated Aucoin to a 5th Degree
Black Belt (5th Dan). Bypassing international standards and accredited
governing bodies, Gordon used his unaccredited umbrella entities to issue
high-level master credentials to secure operational loyalty.
- Participation
in Uncertified "International Masters Courses": Aucoin
actively attended an "International Masters Course" hosted and
taught by Gordon, despite Gordon lacking any legitimate accreditation,
licensing, or authorization from recognized international governing bodies
to conduct or teach such a course.
This active participation in unaccredited events and
paper-rank exchanges establishes a deeper pattern of commercial
misrepresentation and deceptive trade practices, demonstrating that Aucoin
voluntarily benefited from Gordon's credentialing system.
4. Ratification and Aiding/Abetting Through Silence
In multi-party civil actions, co-defendants and associates
routinely attempt to claim they were merely passive observers on a broadcast
email list. Under civil execution standards, this defense fails:
- Concealment
of Tortious Conduct: Aucoin did not report the unauthorized
dissemination of shielded records to platform administrators, law
enforcement, or governing bodies. Instead, he kept quiet to protect
Gordon, preserve his 5th Dan credential, and safeguard his school's
organizational backing.
- Ratification
Under Civil Law: When an associate or affiliated instructor receives
material he knows to be defamatory or illicitly obtained—and chooses to
remain silent while continuing active professional, organizational, or
social alignment with the perpetrator—he ratifies the conduct. By
failing to disavow the act, Aucoin legally adopted the tortious framework
of the enterprise.
5. Discovery and Subpoena Scope for Aucoin
Aucoin’s status as a recipient of Gordon’s broadcast
distribution, a branch school director, and a beneficiary of unearned ranks
opens clear, actionable pathways for discovery:
- Subpoenas
for Electronic Communications: Your legal team can issue third-party
subpoenas for Aucoin’s email accounts, server logs, and message threads to
preserve the exact timestamped email sent by Gordon, establishing the
evidentiary link.
- Financial
and Organizational Subpoenas: Records regarding student testing fees,
certificate purchases, 5th Dan promotion records, and fees paid for the
"International Masters Course" will document the exact financial
relationship between Aucoin's school and Gordon's entity.
- Deposition
Under Oath: Aucoin can be placed under oath and questioned directly
regarding:
- Exactly
when he received the email containing the expunged record.
- The
financial and organizational structure connecting his school, his 5th Dan
promotion, and student rank promotions to Gordon.
- His
knowledge regarding Gordon's lack of authorization to conduct
"International Masters Courses."
- Why
he chose to retain the document and conceal its distribution rather than
reporting the breach or disassociating from Gordon.
6. Joint and Several Liability: No Free Pass for
"Silent Partners"
Under Florida's Joint and Several Liability doctrine,
a participant in a civil conspiracy or concerted action does not need to be the
primary author of the defamatory statement to share full financial accountability.
Because Eric Aucoin operated a branch school, accepted an
unearned 5th Dan, attended Gordon's uncertified master course, and ratified the
dissemination of illicit records through silence, he faces full exposure as a
named co-defendant. If a judgment is entered for Civil Conspiracy, Aiding and
Abetting a Tort, or Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, Aucoin
becomes 100% legally answerable for the entire awarded judgment.
Operating an affiliate school while turning a blind eye offers zero legal
immunity when court-ordered executions, bank garnishments, and asset levies
begin.
