B.J. Penn’s criminal cases in Hawaii are moving forward after a judge found the UFC Hall of Famer fit to stand trial following a court-ordered mental health evaluation.
According to a court order first reported by Hawaii News Now, Judge Peter Kubota signed the finding on May 29 after reviewing the examiner’s report. MMA Fighting later detailed the order and reported that neither prosecutors nor Penn’s defense contested the evaluation’s findings.
“The court, having reviewed the reports of defendant’s appointed examiner and noting that neither the state nor the defendant’s counsel contests the findings and contents of the report, finds by a preponderance of the evidence that defendant is fit to proceed.”
Penn is scheduled to return to court on Aug. 28 for further proceedings, according to MMA Fighting. The latest ruling follows earlier delays in the case, including Penn missing a court-mandated mental health assessment while legal proceedings were on hold.
Penn’s Cases Move Forward In Hawaii
Penn was arrested multiple times in 2025 after allegations involving his mother, Lorraine Shin. MMA Fighting reported that the initial arrests were tied to abuse of a family or household member, with later arrests connected to alleged violations of a restraining order granted to Shin.
Shin previously accused Penn of “extreme psychological abuse” and said he believed family members had been “killed” and replaced by imposters. In her restraining order request, she told police she believed Penn was suffering from Capgras delusional syndrome.
“I believe my son [B.J. Penn] is suffering from Capgras delusional syndrome (a psychiatric disorder in which a person holds a delusion that a friend, spouse, parent, other close family member has been replaced by an identical imposter),” Shin told police. “He believes I’m an imposter who has killed his family to gain control of the family assets.
“In the best interest for my safety, I ask the court for a six-month [temporary restraining order] and have my son ordered to get medical treatment or other source of therapy.”
Penn has denied some allegations in prior filings, including involvement in missing property from Shin’s room. MiddleEasy previously covered the judge pausing Penn’s criminal cases while seeking a mental health report, which is the review that now cleared the case to proceed.
The legal update adds another chapter to a difficult post-fighting stretch for Penn, who retired with a 16-14-2 MMA record. “The Prodigy” is a former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion, a 2015 UFC Hall of Fame modern-era inductee, and the first non-Brazilian to win the black belt division at the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
The ruling does not determine guilt or innocence. It only allows the criminal cases to continue because the court found Penn competent to proceed, with the next step now back in a Hawaii courtroom.
