The founder of Bang Energy deleted Instagram comments disparaging advisers trying to sell the bankrupt energy drink maker after a judge said he would be fined $25,000 a day until he removed the posts, Bloomberg News reported. Jack Owoc, who was fired as Bang Energy chief executive officer last month, removed several Instagram comments criticizing company advisers after Bankruptcy Judge Peter Russin held him in contempt of court and ruled the posts violated a March order prohibiting him and his wife, Meg, from posting on Bang Energy-affiliated Instagram, TikTok and Twitter accounts unless told to do so by company advisers. Owoc made the comments under posts promoting the energy drink from a @BangEnergy.CEO Instagram account with 1 million followers. Company lawyers requested Owoc make the Instagram posts earlier this month and took the founder to court over the subsequent comments he made under the posts. “I (JACK OWOC) WAS FORCED BY THREAT TO POST THIS AGAINST MY WILL,” one comment under an April 10 post read. “THE FLORIDA BANKRUPTCY COMMUNITY MUST BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE!” In another comment, Owoc wrote, “This post is a fraud on the American public. This post was made against my will and is a violation of my first amendment rights.” About 30 minutes before a 5 p.m. deadline imposed by Judge Russin to delete the comments, Owoc said in an email that he would follow the court’s instructions. The comments disappeared shortly thereafter.
