Sue Me, Stupid: Hales and his lawyer file a sloppy mess of a lawsuit against Richard Luthmann—and may pay the price

By Dick LaFontaine with Richard Luthmann and Michael Volpe

YouTube personality Jeremy Hales, better known for storage unit treasure hunts than courtroom savvy, has sued journalist Richard Luthmann in a bombshell federal lawsuit filed in the Northern District of Florida.

The 74-page complaint, cobbled together by attorney Randall Shochet, is already being mocked across legal circles as a classic “shotgun pleading” — throwing wild allegations against the wall to see what sticks.

Hale$ of a Lawsuit: Tries to Silence Critics—And Misses

Hales accuses Luthmann of being part of a “civil conspiracy” against him. But the lawsuit fails to show any actual agreement between Luthmann and anyone else. Worse, Hales never points to a single overt act by Luthmann that would support a legal claim.

Instead, the complaint reads like a laundry list of social media commentary, public questions, and journalistic opinions. In other words: protected First Amendment speech.

“Hales is trying to turn asking questions into a criminal enterprise,” said an attorney familiar with the case. “It’s laughable.”

Luthmann isn’t worried. “I’m thrilled to be sued,” he said. “It’s a lottery ticket for me, and I’ll squeeze these jesters for every penny I can.”

Hale$ of a Lawsuit: A Clueless Complaint from the Legal Team

Legal experts reviewing Hales’ amended complaint say it’s unlikely to survive a motion to dismiss.

“It’s an incoherent mess,” said Michael Volpe, a veteran journalist and commentator, and Luthmann’s co-host on The Unknown Podcast. “The court should toss it—and sanction Hales and his scumbag lawyer Randy Shochet.”

Volpe and Luthmann both pointed out the obvious: Hales, who has over 730,000 YouTube followers, is a public figure.

That means he has to prove “actual malice” in any defamation claim—a nearly impossible standard here.

Yet the complaint makes almost no attempt to do that. Instead, it offers a rambling history of Hales’ disputes with various neighbors, claiming without evidence that Luthmann somehow conspired against him.

“He’s complaining that I asked questions and offered commentary that Jeremy Hales is an anti-Semite,” Luthmann said. “That’s not a conspiracy—that’s journalism and it’s the truth. Jeremy Hales hates Jews.”

Worse, Luthmann points out that Shochet incorrectly listed his residence as Staten Island, New York, even though he has lived in Florida since 2021.

“They can’t even get my address right,” Luthmann said. “I haven’t lived on Staten Island since 2017. But I hope Jeremy Hales goes asking for me there. His white trash ass won’t survive ten minutes there before somebody black eyes the Buckeye.”

Hale$ of a Lawsuit: Why Luthmann Is Thrilled to Be Sued

Luthmann says being named as a defendant gives him new advantages.

First, he now has litigation privilege, which allows him to speak nearly unrestrictedly about the lawsuit without fear of defamation claims.

“Hales can’t sue me again for anything I say about him,” Luthmann explained. “Now I can really turn up the heat.”

Second, it does not appear that Hales and Shochet plan to serve Luthmann. And even if they try, it’s doubtful Luthmann will be found.

“Even my mother doesn’t know where I am for them to tag me,” Luthmann said.

Luthmann says federal court jurisdiction can be obtained by consent. That means Luthmann can respond—and counterclaim—on his own terms.

“I might call their bluff,” he said. “I’ll answer, counterclaim, and drag them into my bailiwick. The second I answer, I can request discovery.”

Luthmann says he’s ready to give Hales “the legal equivalent of a proctology exam.”

“I’m going to ask for an expert reconstruction of Jeremy Hales’ conception,” Luthmann said on a recent episode of Two Lees in a Pod. “God knows, that was one of the great accidents in human history. It could explain a lot.”

Luthmann plans to argue that the act of filing the frivolous shotgun lawsuit itself constitutes:

1. An intentional action in Florida.

2. A violation of Florida’s anti-SLAPP statute.

3. An intentional and malicious prima facie tort.

“This isn’t just a bad lawsuit,” he said. “It’s actionable misconduct. An anti-SLAPP lawsuit exposes crybaby plaintiffs who weaponize the courts to muzzle critics and dodge the truth.”

Luthmann isn’t just defending—he’s considering a full offensive.

He plans to sue Hales and attorney Shochet in Fort Myers, in separate lawsuits, seeking at least $10 million in damages.

“They are trying to chill my journalism by filing garbage court claims with no intention on following through,” Luthmann said. “That’s independently actionable activity and I am legally entitled to respond to that at a time and in a manner of my choosing, by selecting the venue in my own lawsuit.”

Luthmann says Hales and Shochet’s lawsuit was a calculated attack on his First Amendment rights, opening them up to anti-SLAPP penalties, abuse of process claims, and prima facie tort liability.

Luthmann said he could sue Hales, an Ohio resident, in the federal court in Fort Myers.

The case against Randall Shochet and his law firm, Luthmann said, would be a separate case filed in Lee County state court because the attorney and his firm are Florida residents.

“They thought they were smart suing me up in the swamp,” Luthmann said. “Now they’ll answer for their bullshit in my backyard. They just handed me a golden ticket.”

Luthmann says he plans to represent himself pro se.

“They will have to bring their asses down to my town,” he said. “And I have nothing to lose.”

The Big Picture: Content Creation, Not Justice

Luthmann believes the real reason he’s in the lawsuit has little to do with law and everything to do with YouTube content.

“Hales and Shochet put my name in there because they want more drama for the What The Hales channel,” he said. “They don’t want to win. They want views.”

This aligns with the broader strategy Hales has employed against other critics: filing lawsuits, obtaining protective orders, and then generating YouTube videos that spin legal setbacks into entertainment.

“He’s not fighting a legal battle,” Volpe said. “He’s manufacturing content.”

Ironically, by filing a sloppy, overreaching lawsuit, Hales may have handed Luthmann—and any other targeted critics—a loaded legal weapon.

“This is a gift,” Luthmann said. “And they’re going to regret it.”