Reckless Ben’s Bricks & Minifigs lawsuit has moved to federal court after a Utah judge declined to sign a modified restraining order that could have affected whether he can post Part 3 of his investigation.
The YouTuber, whose real name is Benjamin Schneider, has been covering an escalating dispute involving Bricks & Minifigs, the Mansell family, and former franchise operators connected to the company’s Salem, Oregon store.
The dispute later became a lawsuit, with BAM Franchising Inc. and other plaintiffs suing Schneider, Reckless Ben LLC, Bryan Mansell, and Victor Nguyen. Ben previously claimed that Part 3 of his Bricks & Minifigs series was finished, but that he could not upload it because of a temporary restraining order.
On June 9, Ben posted a video titled “My final message,” where he told viewers: “I can’t post it, or I will go to jail.”
He also claimed that releasing the video could affect the lawsuit and the GoFundMe money raised for Bryan Mansell and his family.
Case moves to federal court after modified order setback
The move to federal court comes after the parties appeared to be close to narrowing the restraining order.
On June 24, BAM and the defendants jointly asked the court to modify the TRO and convert it into a preliminary injunction. The proposed version would still block threats, doxxing, trespassing, impersonation, interference with stores, and soliciting leaks or staged confrontations.
However, it also said nothing in the order would stop the defendants from discussing the plaintiffs, commenting on the litigation, publishing court filings, engaging in investigative journalism, or posting opinions, criticism, satire, and commentary on platforms including YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and podcasts.
That appeared to open the door for Ben to speak about the case again, though the proposed order did not mention Part 3 by name.
However, Judge Tony F. Graf Jr. declined to sign the modified order, with a court note saying one section was still “very broad.” The court specifically flagged language restricting defendants from entering, filming, blocking access to, or coming within at least 100 yards of plaintiffs’ or franchisees’ stores, offices, warehouses, parking areas, employee homes, or franchisee homes.
The note said it was unclear whether the defendants knew who the employees and franchisees were, or which locations would be covered. It also said the modified order did not address the videos that were taken down.
The parties later filed a clarification addressing those concerns, stating that the modified order was intended to narrow the original TRO and allow a full and free discussion of the litigation. But before any new order was signed, the case took another turn.
What federal court means for Reckless Ben
On June 26, attorneys for Schneider, Reckless Ben LLC, and Nguyen filed a Notice of Removal, moving the case from Utah state court to the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah.
The filing argues the case belongs in federal court because the parties are citizens of different states and the amount in controversy is more than $300,000. Mansell also filed a notice consenting to the removal.
In practical terms, the move means the state court proceedings are paused unless the case is sent back. The lawsuit is not over, and the removal does not automatically clear Ben to post Part 3. Instead, the fight over the restraining order and any revised version is likely headed to federal court.
For viewers following the YouTube series, the takeaway is that Part 3 is still in limbo. BAM and Ben’s side had agreed to a narrower order that appeared to allow commentary and investigative content, but the judge declined to sign it, and the case has now moved to a new court.
