UPDATE: False Abuse Reports Trigger Improper Porkbun Legal Threats

Date: October 2, 2025

Event: On October 2, 2025, domain registrar Porkbun issued a series of coercive and misleading emails demanding that Plaintiff transfer her domains within thirty (30) days or face suspension and deletion. These threats followed a false abuse-report campaign initiated by Madeline Sally Lee, the individual named in both the state and federal litigation. Lee had already been served multiple cease-and-desist notices through her Indian and American legal counsel.

Porkbun's threats began immediately after Plaintiff instructed the registrar to stop contacting her to prove her innocence against Lee's spammed, duplicate, and already-debunked abuse submissions.

Domains Targeted by Porkbun

Sequence of Events

  • July 21-Oct 1, 2025: Lee files multiple false abuse reports with Porkbun, repeating claims already dismissed by state and federal authorities.
  • Sept 25, 2025: Porkbun confirms in writing that no action will be taken and that all records will be preserved under litigation hold.
  • Oct 1, 2025: Plaintiff issues a cease-and-desist instructing Porkbun to stop demanding redundant proof of innocence.
  • Oct 2, 2025: Porkbun suddenly emails Plaintiff claiming she is "unhappy with their services" and must transfer all domains within 30 days.
  • Oct 3, 2025: A second message signed by "Porkbun Legal" reiterates the threat and frames the transfer demand as final and non-appealable.

Misrepresentation of Authority

The October 2-3 emails were signed by Sarah Knobloch, who identified herself as working for "Porkbun Legal." Public records list Ms. Knobloch as a project manager with no legal or compliance credentials.

Her emails:

  • quoted vague conduct language from the Domain Registration Agreement,
  • failed to identify any specific abuse incident, report number, or violation,
  • circumvented ICANN-required notice and dispute procedures,
  • and impersonated legal authority to coerce domain transfer.

Porkbun's Stated Basis

Knobloch's justification rested on discretionary phrasing that Plaintiff's "conduct may harm Porkbun or others." This wording appears nowhere in ICANN's abuse criteria and directly contradicts Porkbun's September 25 statement confirming Plaintiff's compliance and continued eligibility for service.

No allegation of spam, malware, phishing, CSAM, or any other RAA-recognized abuse category was made.

Connection to Ongoing Harassment by Lee

The escalation mirrors a pattern: when Lee's direct communications fail, she reroutes accusations through third-party systems (e.g., Telegram, court administrators, Porkbun). After being served with an Injunction Against Harassment through Arizona, Lee began targeting Plaintiff's registrars and hosts.

Porkbun's sudden reversal on October 2 came immediately after Plaintiff refused to continue supplying redundant proofs debunking Lee's spam reports.

Plaintiff's Response

Across four written communications (Oct 2-3), Plaintiff:

  • affirmed satisfaction with Porkbun's services since March 2025,
  • confirmed full compliance with the Abuse Policy and ICANN RAA,
  • notified Porkbun that arbitrary termination violates ICANN standards,
  • and requested written confirmation that domains would not be removed absent specific violations.

Porkbun ignored these clarifications and issued a final communication declaring the matter closed and the transfer non-appealable.

Legal and Procedural Concerns

The sequence represents a clear procedural failure. A non-attorney project manager impersonated legal authority, issued deletion threats without citing any abuse report, and contradicted prior written assurances of compliance.

  • This violates ICANN's RAA requirements for due process, specificity, and registrant rights.
  • No documented violation exists in Porkbun's own system.
  • The timing indicates external influence by a known harasser already documented in multiple courts.

Escalation to Oversight Bodies

On October 4, 2025, Plaintiff initiated escalation to ICANN Contractual Compliance and the Federal Trade Commission, documenting:

  • misrepresentation of internal staff as legal authority,
  • failure to identify any abuse report under ICANN standards,
  • and actions that appear retaliatory following Plaintiff's cease-and-desist notice.

Conclusion

Porkbun's October communications constitute an improper and procedurally defective attempt to terminate service based on false third-party abuse reports already identified as part of an ongoing stalking and harassment campaign. The impersonation of legal authority and the disregard of prior assurances raise serious concerns about registrar governance and susceptibility to external manipulation.

All domains remain active as of this update. Plaintiff continues to maintain detailed evidentiary archives and has escalated the matter to appropriate oversight bodies.

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