My name is Peter John Ross. I am a filmmaker, editor, producer, and educator from Columbus, Ohio. My work has appeared on PBS and received six regional Emmy nominations. I have spent much of my career helping other people tell their stories. I never imagined having to ask publicly for help defending my own name and protecting my family.

For years, I have faced a sustained campaign of public defamation and cyber-harassment by Matthew Berdyck.

The pending defamation litigation concerns repeated public accusations designed to portray me as a danger to children—accusations I categorically deny and maintain are false. Because repeating the specific slurs would only amplify them and further connect them to my name, I will not reproduce them here. The statements and supporting evidence are documented in the court record.

These accusations strike directly at my reputation, livelihood, and career. But the campaign has extended far beyond attacks against me.

My deceased mother was targeted

My mother, Sally Ross, died on January 28, 2024. While my family was still grieving, Berdyck took her obituary photograph and used it in a public post attacking her.

He wrote that it brought him “great pleasure” to post a photograph of “this dead bitch.”

He then added:

“Sorry for this, I meant dead prostitute.”

No family should have to watch the memory of someone they love be exploited this way. My mother was not a public figure and had nothing to do with this dispute. She was targeted solely because hurting her memory was a way to hurt me.

My elderly father was threatened with “real world retaliation”

The conduct subsequently escalated from desecrating my mother’s memory to public statements concerning my father and other members of my family.

My father is 87 years old and battling cancer. Instead of being allowed to focus on his health in peace, he became the subject of statements seeking his physical location and announcing retaliation against the people I love.

Berdyck publicly wrote:

“Real world retaliation against the people Peter loves seems to be the only option to get him to leave me alone. He has done the same to my family so his are fair game.”

He also posted:

“Somebody get me Peter’s dad’s address.”

And:

“If I’m going to jail might as well earn the time.”

Those are his exact public words. Taken together, I understood them as a serious escalation against my family—particularly my vulnerable, elderly father.

Why I need an attorney now

There is already an Ohio civil stalking protection order against Berdyck that remains in effect through August 19, 2027. Yet the public campaign has continued.

I have also pursued defamation claims through the Ohio courts while representing myself. One action was dismissed without prejudice over whether service was legally effective; the court never reached the truth or falsity of the underlying defamatory statements. Following a recent appellate decision, the next opportunity to seek review by the Supreme Court of Ohio is time-sensitive. A separate defamation action concerning newer statements also remains pending.

I have taken these cases as far as I reasonably can without professional representation. I now need an experienced Ohio attorney to review the record, seek Supreme Court review, and help pursue the pending defamation action.

I am not asking anyone to finance revenge, suppress legitimate criticism, or prolong an internet feud. I am asking for help obtaining legal representation so that the evidence can finally be heard on its merits and I can pursue enforceable protection through lawful channels.

How donations will be used

The money raised will be reserved for:

Retaining qualified Ohio counsel

Reviewing the trial and appellate records

Preparing and filing an appeal to the Supreme Court of Ohio

Representation in the pending defamation action

Filing fees, service expenses, transcripts, and evidence preparation

If the campaign raises less than its full goal, the immediate appellate consultation and filing deadline will receive priority. If it raises more than the initial costs, the remaining funds will support continued attorney representation in the pending litigation. I will provide campaign updates as important legal and fundraising milestones are reached.

After years of trying to manage this alone, I am asking for help.

If you can contribute—even $10, $20, or $25—you will help bring me closer to having an attorney stand beside me. If you cannot donate, sharing this fundraiser with two other people can still make an enormous difference.

My father deserves peace. My mother’s memory deserves dignity. And no person should be able to avoid accountability simply because the cost and complexity of reaching a courtroom are greater than an ordinary individual can bear.

Thank you for believing that documented evidence deserves to be heard and that families should not be used as weapons.

With gratitude,

Peter John Ross

https://youtu.be/U0HpZ94ThjU