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Intervention to Provide Oppty for Publishers and Creators to Object to Subpoenas Meant to Unmask Identities and Personal Communications

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Earlier today I asked a federal court in Utah to pause efforts by a private litigant to intrude on the privacy of journalists covering an interesting story about a national toy chain that is mired in various controversies. See additional explainers below. What happened. On September 25, Bricks and Minifigs ("BAM"), a franchisor of LEGO retail stores which as been embroiled in high profile disputes involving consignment sales and franchise agreements, sued ten unnamed defendants for breach of contract and trade-secret misappropriation. BAM says internal documents were leaked to websites, including thebammap.com, which reports on the company. Because the defendants are unknown, BAM asked the court, without notice to anyone, for permission to subpoena the sites' hosting providers. The court granted that on September 30. The order doesn't require notice to the people whose records are sought, and it gives them no chance to object before their private communication ...
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Update on Intervention Meant to Protect Public Discussion of Viral LEGO Collection Controversy

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Motion seeks removal or narrowing of court-ordered speech ban affecting popular YouTube creator Reckless Ben BAM Franchising Inc v. Schneider  Fourth Judicial District Court, Utah (#260402353) United States District Court, District of Utah  (2:26-cv-00593) By G. C. Belmont July 1, 2026 I personally filed a motion seeking limited intervention to reverse a gag order imposed on a guerilla video journalist by the Utah Fourth District Court in response to allegations of  racketeering and other unlawful conduct by the company that is the target of his documentary attention. The motion to intervene to vacate the speech restrictive TRO did not take a position on whether the allegations made by any party are true. Instead, it pointed to longstanding Supreme Court precedent recognizing that freedom of speech protects a listener's right to receive information as well as a speaker's right to share it. The motion further highlighted that prior restraints on publication are among the ...
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Explanatory Reply to Opposition to Narrowed Intervention in LEGO Retailer Controversy

Why I Narrowed Limited Intervention to Protect Speech Impacted by the Bricks & Minifigs v. Reckless Ben TRO This public explanation is adapted from an unfiled draft reply to Plaintiffs’ June 25 Opposition [Doc. 87] to Proposed Intervenor’s June 11 Motion to Intervene to Partially Vacate TRO [Doc. 66] and June 25 Notice of Changed Circumstances Narrowing that Request [Doc. 86] . The draft was being prepared before the matter was removed to federal court on the afternoon of June 26. By G. C. Belmont June 27, 2026 (Updated 11:45 AM EST) This post is not a court filing. It is an educational explanation of the proposed intervenor’s position in response to arguments made in opposition to a limited intervention request while the case was pending in Utah state court. The case has since been removed to federal court, where the speech-restrictive elements of the TRO may or may not be quickly lifted. Any possible future need for intervention would necessarily proceed under the applicable fe...
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Motion Filed to Vacate Speech Restrictions on Reckless Ben

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CereBel Legal Intelligence Founder Moves to Intervene in LEGO Retailer Case to Protect Public Access to Gagged YouTube Documentary Motion seeks removal or narrowing of court-ordered speech ban affecting popular YouTube creator Reckless Ben UPDATE JULY 1:  Notice of Changed Circumstance and Narrowed Requested Relief . UPDATE JUNE 30: Explanation of Federal Removal . UPDATE JUNE 29: Motion to Intervene is Refiled in Federal Court . UPDATE JUNE 27: Explanatory Reply to Opposition to Narrow Motion . JUNE 11, 2026. UPDATED JULY 1 .  CereBel Legal Intelligence founder filed a motion seeking limited intervention in the wild legal controversy brewing between LEGO reseller Bricks & Minifigs and guerilla video journalist Reckless Ben Schneider which has been sensationalized on YouTube and other social media platforms. Ben Schneider, publishing as " Reckless Ben ", appeared poised to release the third installment of a popular three part video series documenting his team's rau...
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CereBel Files an Amicus Letter Brief in USA v Cohen to Assist Court's Consideration of Sanctions for Miscommunicated Citatons

In a second Southern District of New York matter in which "fake citations" were submitted in support of motions, Generative AI technology has been blamed for the affirming attorneys failure to fully review each cited decision. On this second occasion, former Trump Organization attorney Michael Cohen told the court he used Google Bard before the end of November to research caselaw that would assist his attorney's effort to reduce the length of his supervised release. In early December Google Bard was upgraded with Google's Gemini Pro, making it difficult to reproduce comparable hallucinations. In any case, let this be a reminder that until embedded citation verification tools are more broadly available, attorneys should continue to review and verify accuracy of research conducted with Large Language Models. And refresh knowledge of court rules requiring an understanding of all decisions they choose to cite in pleadings, whther the citations originate in a copy a...
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Comparing Federal Court Judicial Standing Orders on Artificial Intelligence

Judge / Court Restrictiveness Primary Focus Cert Accuracy Maintan Record Disclose AI Use Tool & Use Other URL Araceli Martínez-Olguín N.D. California Moderate Accuracy ✓ ✓ Link Leslie Kobayashi District of Hawaii Moderate Accuracy, Disclosure ✓ ✓ ✓ Link Derrick Watson, et al. District of Hawaii Moderate Accuracy ✓ Declaration for Unverified Sources, Excludes Basic Research Tools Link Jeffrey Cole N.D. Illinois Moderate Disclosure, Accuracy ✓ ✓ ✓ Certification of Authority Analysis Link Gabriel Fuentes N.D. Illinois Moderate Disclosure ✓ ✓ Link Iain D. Johnston N.D. Illinois Less Compliance Compliance with Federal and Ethical Rules Link Stephen R. Clark E.D. Missouri High Prohibition Prohibition of AI-Drafted Filings for Pro Se Parties Link Evelyn Padin District of New Jersey Moderate Disclosure, Accuracy ✓ ✓ Link Arun Subramanian S.D. New York Moderate Accuracy ✓ Counsel Responsibility for Accuracy, Personal Confirmation Link Michael Newman S.D. Ohio High Prohibition Prohibition of...
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