Stew Peters is one of the most visible figures of the modern anti-vax movement. In 2022, Peters released Died Suddenly, an anti-vax propaganda film which falsely claimed that the COVID-19 vaccine was a deadly “bioweapon.” Now, Peters is suing the film’s producers — including a former employee — for the rights to Died Suddenly.

The suit, filed in the Southern District of Florida, names as defendants Lauren Witzke, a white nationalist and failed congressional candidate who once worked for Peters, and Edward Szall, who co-hosted the show Cross Talk News with Witzke on the Stew Peters Network.

Witzke announced her resignation from the Stew Peters Network in a Nov. 8, 2023 post on X (formerly Twitter). At the time, she wrote that it had been a “pleasure” to help bring “global awareness to the poison also known as the Covid ‘vaccine’ through the viral film ‘Died Suddenly.'”

It also names as defendants Matthew Skow, Nicholas Stumphauzer, and a pair of Vero Beach, FL businesses owned by Szall: TLM Global LLC and TLM Vision, Inc. Witzke is listed as the vice president of TLM Vision, Inc. while Skow and Stumphauzer are listed as directors. The complaint alleges that Witzke is also a “principal” of TLM Global LLC.

According to the suit, Peters entered into an oral agreement with TLM Global in Oct. 2021. In accordance with that agreement, TLM Global was paid weekly to assist in the production and editing of content on the Stew Peters Network, as well as create and post content to Peters’ “social media handles and other video-hosting platforms.”

TLM Global also received lump sum payments to produce documentaries for the Stew Peters Network, including Died Suddenly. In order to promote that movie TLM Global set up an official website and X handle with Peters’ consent.

However, the complaint states that a week after the release of Died Suddenly, the defendants “started making material changes” to the website and X account without Peters’ knowledge. Those changes included soliciting donations in exchange for producer credits for a Died Suddenly sequel which never materialized.

The X account for Died Suddenly includes a link to the website and allows people to subscribe for $5 a month.

In addition, the complaint notes that TLM Global both submitted a trademark application for the “Died Suddenly” mark and applied for copyright registration for the movie. It alleges that the defendants “had full knowledge of Plaintiff’s rightful ownership” of the copyright to Died Suddenly when they applied for the copyright and trademark.

Peters is suing the defendants for, among other things, trademark dilution, trademark infringement, unfair competition, conversion of the X handle and Died Suddenly website, copyright conversion, breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and, with respect to Lauren Witzke, breach of fiduciary duty.

Meanwhile, Peters has stayed silent about the controversy — save for an Apr. 6, 2024 post on X directed at the Died Suddenly account and conspiracy theorist Lara Logan. “The @DiedSuddenly_ account has been hijacked by @LaurenWitzkeDE et al and is currently not being run by the Stew Peters Network,” he wrote.