B.J. Penn's mother granted 1-year restraining order amid UFC legend's arrests, imposter family claims

Lorraine Shin, the mother of UFC Hall of Famer and former two-division champion B.J. Penn, was granted a one-year protection order on Tuesday in Hawaii. The order prevents her son from contacting her in any form prior to May 26, 2026 — exactly one year after the date she initially sought the order.

According to a Hilo Family Court judge, Shin proved her claim of "domestic abuse and/or extreme psychological abuse by a preponderance of the evidence presented in court," according to the Hawaii Tribune-Herald. During the hearing on Tuesday, Shin requested a two-year order against Penn, but Judge Jeffrey NG instead granted the one-year order she originally sought against the former UFC fighter.

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Penn, 46, has been arrested numerous times in recent months on charges including abuse of a family or household member. His mother was granted a temporary restraining order against him back in May, approved by the same judge.

Shin, 79, has alleged that Penn suffers from a rare psychological disorder known as Capgras syndrome, which causes him to believe that his family members have been replaced by imposters. Penn has made multiple posts to his social media accounts in recent months in which he alleges that very thing, particularly when it comes to his mother.

In court on Tuesday, Shin was permitted to question her son, asking Penn if he was willing to admit that he had publicly accused her of being "an imposter who is trying to steal the family assets." Penn said that he had.

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“Do you admit that you had said publicly that your mother and brothers have been murdered?” Shin asked, according to the Hawaii Tribune-Herald. Again, Penn said that he had.

In Shin’s initial request for a restraining order, she alleged a disturbing pattern of behavior from her son. After returning from a trip in early May, Shin said, she noticed many of her belongings “such as clothes, shoes, jewelry, personal items” and even her bed had all been removed from her bedroom. Shin filed a police report after Penn denied taking the items, she said, and a few days later her purse “with my driver’s license, credit card and locks for my safe” were also stolen.

Shin said she then put up security cameras inside and outside the home, while also installing a deadbolt lock on her bedroom door. According to Shin, Penn took down or tampered with the cameras and “also put glue into my dead bolts that stopped me from opening my bedroom door.”

Shin claimed Penn then stole her mail and aggressively shined a flashlight in her face on the night of May 25 when confronted. In order to prevent her from calling the police, Shin claimed Penn "grabbed my arms and shoved me against the 4-door gray sedan, which I felt a sharp pain in my back," resulting in her screaming for Penn's younger brother, Reagan, to come help. Penn was ultimately arrested and ordered to stay away from his mother's home for 48 hours, however Shin claimed she caught Penn breaking into her home again the following day. As a result, Penn was again arrested for violating the police order.

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Penn was ultimately arrested four separate times in a period of about three weeks, and now faces misdemeanor charges including domestic abuse. He has trials scheduled in late October and early November, and is currently free on a $2,000 bond.

Penn last fought in the UFC in 2019, suffering his seventh consecutive loss. He was later released by the UFC after a video was released showing Penn in a street fight outside a Hawaii bar.