12/21/24 – Small Claims Court Update

Hello victims and predators alike. Glad you are here. As many of you have inquired about the status of my small claims action, let me give you an brief outline and update after my court date on Thursday.

As always, I am not a lawyer. This is not legal advice. Get a lawyer if you are unsure. My experience is my own.

I initially filed on October 11th, 2024 in Cook County (link here on the steps I took to get started). I did try to have the sheriff serve them at both his home address (which I later found out was sold in early November) and his Zurich office (which unbeknownst to me, he was fired from). Both were non-starters. However, in Illinois, you can have Ryne’s lawyers served on behalf of him, (See this link). So I did the work for you guys there.

I filled out and had several subpoenas accepted by the court clerk which I assumed as a Pro Se Litigant, (meaning self-represented), that they were reviewed and approved. So I sent those out via certified mail to the corresponding parties for service.

I didn’t realize how much I would have to learn to sue someone in small claims court in Illinois. I assumed it was 1-on-1 where you go in front of the judge, present your evidence and the judge makes a decision then and there. However, it is much more burdensome. First, subpoenas are not a tool used or authorized in small claims court without special permission. So I have to separately file a “motion of leave of court.” This is essentially asking for the judge’s permission to review the subpoena outside of small claims court and have a subpoena granted. As I understand, the judge will look at that motion and the subpoena requests at that time and determine if it’s good to move forward and use. Because I have not filed this motion yet, the judge told me my subpoenas are quashed, for now. The caveat is that if I file the correct paperwork, he will take a look at them and decide if they are necessary. So avoid this mistake by requesting the subpoenas and filing the motion to get the judge’s permission before you serve them.

Ryne’s attorney did attempt to get my subpoenas quashed permanently without giving me the opportunity to file the motion correctly by citing something called “the fruits of the poisonous tree.” But, that was quickly shut down by the judge who admonished Ryne’s lawyer by saying that argument can only be used in criminal proceedings. The statement caught my attention immediately and I found it interesting that Ryne’s attorney was trying to position a criminal defense in small claims court. It’s very telling of the defense they are likely already working on for the coming tsunami of legal action.

Second, I have learned it’s an expected custom to always send the other party’s attorney a copy of whatever you file with the court, when you file it. So as you file things – send it to Ryne’s attorney as well to keep things moving along.

Next, Ryne’s attorney tried to get the case thrown out by citing §735 ILCS 5/5-103, a statute called “security for costs.” In a nutshell, to sue someone in Illinois scc, if you are not from Illinois, you have to have a resident back you as collateral in the event Ryne wins and you have to pay his appearance fee. A ridiculous rule considering he has already admitted guilt, but a good technical move on the part of his attorney. Mine looked like this below, and was good enough for the court to accept. If you need to be introduced to someone in Illinois, let me know. There are a lot of pissed off people that Ryne took in Illinois. This does need to be filed on with the court as “security for costs.”

Along with that, be prepared to go to at least 2 Zoom pre-trial meetings before a trial date is set, (15-30 minutes each time), in addition to travelling to Illinois to appear in person for the trial. My first actual meeting so far was this last Thursday, 12/19/24. It started at noon MST and we sat through 3-4 other brief cases and mine was called around roughly 12:15pm MST. The meeting didn’t last for more than 5-10 minutes and the majority of that time was spent on my subpoenas. Without those, I think it would have been a 2-minute meeting with a date set for trial.

So my case moves forward to another Zoom meeting on 1/23/25. After which we will have a date set for trial. I will continue to keep you updated on this slower-than-molasses process. Welcome to the Illinois court system.

I know many of you are getting messages from Ryne & Co. stating that the judge quashed all the subpoenas, so any info I have can’t be used in courts. Don’t believe it. While I can’t use it in court today, I can motion to get subpoenas back on the table per the judge. Considering we don’t have a trial date, at worst it is a small bump for my inexperience in court, but not one that will stop me in any case. Just another classic Ryne stall tactic.

Also, absolutely nothing was mentioned about taking down my website. That is complete nonsense. I am suing Ryne for stealing my money. The judge does not care about this website. Ryne does not have separate lawyers working on taking this site down. Remember they are liars, and they are backed into a corner. Expect them to continue to steal, lie, scream, cry, and kick their way out. Like a hangman’s noose, the harder they pull, the tighter it gets.

#jailsquad2025