Hansmeier v. MacLaughlin

CourtDistrict Court, D. Minnesota
DecidedMarch 11, 2022
Docket0:21-cv-01167
StatusUnknown

This text of Hansmeier v. MacLaughlin (Hansmeier v. MacLaughlin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hansmeier v. MacLaughlin, (mnd 2022).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF MINNESOTA PAUL R. HANSMEIER,

Civil No. 21-1167 (JRT/LIB) Plaintiff,

v. MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

GRANTING MOTION TO DISMISS AND DAVID MACLAUGHLIN; W. ANDERS FOLK; MOTION FOR FILING RESTRICTIONS and PORTLAND CORPORATE CENTER, LLC,

Defendants. Paul R. Hansmeier, Reg. No. 20953-041, Federal Correctional Institution, PO Box 1000, Sandstone, Minnesota, 55072, pro se plaintiff.

Kristen E. Rau, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY’S OFFICE, 300 South Fourth Street, Suite 600, Minneapolis, MN 55415, for defendants.

Plaintiff Paul R. Hansmeier, proceeding pro se, has filed at least sixteen actions in this district alone challenging the constitutionality of the federal mail fraud, wire fraud, and extortion statutes (the “Challenged Statutes”) against David MacLaughlin and W. Anders Folk (the “Federal Defendants”). The Court stayed the proceedings of the other active cases pending resolution of the motion to dismiss presently before the Court in this case. Because Hansmeier has litigated this exact issue not once, but at least twice before, and because all other elements of issue preclusion are met, Hansmeier’s claims are barred by res judicata, and the Court will grant Federal Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss. The Court will also dismiss Hansmeier’s Complaint against Defendant Portland Corporate Center, LLC (“Portland”) for failure to effectuate service under Rule 4. Furthermore, because Hansmeier has shown he has no reservations in filing frivolous, meritless, duplicative and arguably harassing lawsuits against the Federal Defendants, the Court will impose

appropriately tailored filing restrictions against him. BACKGROUND

Hansmeier is currently serving a 168-month sentence at FCI-Sandstone. (Compl., at 3, May 6, 2021, Docket No. 1.) In 2018, Hansmeier, then a licensed attorney, pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h). (United States v. Hansmeier, No. 16-334 (JNE/KMM), Plea Agreement, Aug. 17, 2018, Docket No.

103.) The Eighth Circuit affirmed Hansmeier’s conviction. United States v. Hansmeier, 988 F.3d 428, 441 (8th Cir. 2021). Following the conviction, the Minnesota Supreme Court disbarred him due to his “multi-year history of misconduct.” In re Disciplinary Action Against Hansmeier, 942 N.W.2d 167, 174 (Minn. 2020).

Since his incarceration, Hansmeier has been involved in copious amounts of litigation on the alleged unconstitutionality of the Challenged Statutes as applied to him. His lawsuits, all of which seek declaratory and injunctive relief, allege that the statutes are unconstitutional because they either prevent him from pursuing copyright

enforcement or prevent him from assisting unidentified individuals pursuing Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) enforcement claims. In May 2020, Hansmeier filed a lawsuit in the District Court for the District of Columbia against U.S. Attorney General William Barr asserting the unconstitutionality of

the Challenged Statutes as they applied to copyright enforcement actions he sought to undertake. (Defs.’ Mem. Supp. Mot. Dismiss, Ex. A, Aug. 30, 2021, Docket No. 43.) U.S. District Judge James Boasberg screened the case pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915A and determined that the “Attorney General has absolute discretion in deciding whether to

investigate claims for possible criminal and civil prosecution, and . . . such decisions are not subject to judicial review.” (Id., at Ex. B.) The Court dismissed the complaint for failure to state a claim. (Id.) Hansmeier did not appeal this decision.

Hansmeier then filed a complaint against Attorney General Barr in the Western District of Wisconsin that was nearly identical to the case dismissed by Judge Boasberg. (Id., at Ex. E.) The case was closed because Hansmeier failed to pay the initial filing fee. (Id.)

Hansmeier was also busy in this district, filing a lawsuit before Judge Brasel in June 2020 against U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald for declaratory and injunctive relief on the constitutionality of the Challenged Statutes as they apply to his proposed ADA enforcement strategy. (Hansmeier v. MacDonald, No. 20-cv-1315 (NEB/LIB), Complaint,

June 4, 2020, Docket No. 1.) Hansmeier voluntarily dismissed this case. (Defs.’ Mem., Ex. D.) Hansmeier was not finished, though, as he proceeded to file at least sixteen additional cases challenging the constitutionality of the Challenged Statutes as applied to

him and his enforcement strategies, including this case.1 As relevant to this motion, in Hansmeier I, Hansmeier filed a document titled “Suggestion of Mootness,” and upon that motion, the Court found that the particular case no longer presented a live controversy, dismissing it without prejudice. (Hansmeier I, 20-cv-2155 (JRT/LIB), Suggestion Mootness,

May 21, 2021, Docket No. 67; Hansmeier I, Order Denying Mots. at 5, Aug. 17, 2021, Docket No. 105.) In Hansmeier II, Hansmeier filed a Notice of Voluntary Dismissal. (Hansmeier II, Notice Voluntary Dismissal, May 21, 2021, Docket No. 38.) The Court

stayed the remaining actions until the motion to dismiss is resolved in this present case. (Hansmeier I, Order Denying Mots at 7–8.) DISCUSSION I. STANDARD OF REVIEW

1 Hansmeier v. David MacLaughlin, et al., 20-cv-2155 (JRT/LIB) (“Hansmeier I”); Hansmeier v. David MacLaughlin, et al., 20-cv-2156 (JRT/LIB) (“Hansmeier II”); Hansmeier v. David MacLaughlin, et al., 21-cv-748 (JRT/LIB) (“Hansmeier III”); Hansmeier v. David MacLaughlin, et al., 21-cv-1167 (JRT/LIB) (“Hansmeier IV”); Hansmeier v. David MacLaughlin, et al., 21-cv-1426 (JRT/LIB) (“Hansmeier V”); Hansmeier v. David MacLaughlin, et al., 21-cv-1537 (JRT/LIB) (“Hansmeier VI”); Hansmeier v. David MacLaughlin, et al., 21-cv-1538 (JRT/LIB) (“Hansmeier VII”); Hansmeier v. David MacLaughlin, et al., 21-cv-1539 (JRT/LIB) (“Hansmeier VIII”); Hansmeier v. David MacLaughlin, et al., 21-cv-1540 (JRT/LIB) (“Hansmeier IX”); Hansmeier v. David MacLaughlin, et al., 21-cv-1542 (JRT/LIB) (“Hansmeier X”); Hansmeier v. David MacLaughlin, et al., 21-cv-1543 (JRT/LIB) (“Hansmeier XI”); Hansmeier v. David MacLaughlin, et al., 21-cv-1553 (JRT/LIB) (“Hansmeier XII”); Hansmeier v. David MacLaughlin, et al., 21-cv-1547 (JRT/LIB) (“Hansmeier XIII”); Hansmeier v. David MacLaughlin, et al., 21-cv-1550 (JRT/LIB) (“Hansmeier XIV”); Hansmeier v. David MacLaughlin, et al., 21-cv-1551 (JRT/LIB) (“Hansmeier XV”); and Hansmeier v. David MacLaughlin, et al., 21-cv-1552 (JRT/LIB) (“Hansmeier XVI”). In reviewing a motion to dismiss under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), the Court considers all facts alleged in the complaint as true to determine if the complaint

states a “claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Braden v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 588 F.3d 585, 594 (8th Cir. 2009) (quoting Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009)). “A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.”

Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678.

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