Braden Peters, the “looksmaxxing” influencer known as Clavicular, pleaded not guilty to rape charges in Massachusetts on Oct. 22. He appeared in Orleans District Court facing one count of rape, one count of drugging a person for sexual intercourse, and one count of procuring liquor for someone under 21.
According to CBS News, Peters arrived at the courthouse walking a white dog on a leash and did not answer reporters’ questions as he walked into the building. Footage from the court shows the dog barking at reporters. A court clerk told the outlet the dog was an emotional support animal, though it wasn’t seen with Peters when he later left.
NBC News reported that the accuser, a fellow influencer who was 17 at the time, alleges that Peters brought her to his family’s Chatham home on May 23, 2025. The criminal complaint from the Chatham Police Department alleges that he gave her vodka during a Twitch livestream and then raped her while she was asleep. The charges were filed on Sept. 8, and the officer who filed the police report noted that the accuser could not give consent due to her age and level of intoxication observed in the stream.
Peters’ defense denies all of the allegations
NBC noted that Peters, who lives in Miami and Los Angeles, previously dismissed the charges on X in multiple posts. Per CBS, he has also claimed that the sexual encounter was consensual.
His attorneys, David Meier and Melinda Thompson, filed a motion on Oct. 21 asking for the charges to be dismissed. In a statement, Meier argued that Peters and the accuser maintained a “professional and personal relationship” for a year after the alleged incident.
“At no time did the complainant report anything to the police, or to anyone, because there was nothing to report,” Meier said, per CBS. The defense also alleged that the accuser filed a civil suit after her brand deals began to dry up, with Meier saying, “The fact that these allegations first arose in June 2026 when the complainant and her Florida attorney appeared together at the Chatham Police Department just days before filing an amended civil lawsuit seeking thousands of dollars from Mr. Peters speaks for itself.”
NBC reported that the defense filing includes screenshots of text messages in which the accuser appears to suggest she wanted a romantic relationship, along with a handwritten letter purportedly from her expressing loyalty to Peters. The filing also argues that she continued making content with Peters and profited from their professional connection after the date of the alleged assault. Peters’ attorneys also pointed out that the accuser said she had not undergone a sexual assault forensic examination when she reported the incident to police in June 2026.
Peters is currently out on $10,000 bail. CBS reported that Judge John Julian ordered him to stay away from the accuser, refrain from posting about her on social media, and surrender his passport, warning that any future arrest would lead to his bail being revoked.
This is not the only legal issue Peters has faced this year. In March 2026, he was arrested in Fort Lauderdale for an alleged battery involving two women, and in May 2026, he pleaded no contest to firing a gun at a dead alligator in the Everglades. Peters is scheduled to return to court for a probable cause hearing on Nov. 24, and the charges against him have not been proven in court.
Published: Oct 23, 2026 08:15 am