Reckless Ben lawsuit moves to federal court after Utah judge declines restraining order changes

Reckless Ben's lawsuit against Bricks & Minifigs has moved to federal court after Utah judge declined TRO changes

The legal dispute between YouTuber Benjamin Schneider, known as Reckless Ben, and Bricks & Minifigs has moved to federal court after a Utah judge declined to approve changes to a temporary restraining order.

Schneider has been covering a dispute involving Bricks & Minifigs, the Mansell family and former operators of the company’s Salem, Oregon franchise.

The investigation led to a lawsuit filed by BAM Franchising Inc. and other plaintiffs against Schneider, Reckless Ben LLC, Bryan Mansell and Victor Nguyen.

Schneider has said Part 3 of his YouTube investigation is finished but cannot be released because of the restraining order. In a video posted on June 9 titled “My final message”, he told viewers, “I can’t post it, or I will go to jail.”

On June 24, both sides asked the court to modify the order and turn it into a preliminary injunction.

The proposed version would have kept bans on threats, doxxing, trespassing, impersonation and interference with Bricks & Minifigs, while also saying the defendants could comment on the case, publish court filings and share investigative journalism, criticism, satire and commentary on platforms including YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and podcasts.

Judge Tony F. Graf Jr. declined to sign the revised order, saying one section was still “very broad”. The court raised concerns about language restricting the defendants from entering or filming near Bricks & Minifigs locations, employee homes and franchisee properties, saying it was unclear which sites and people were covered. The judge also noted the proposal did not address videos that had already been removed.

Before any revised order was approved, Schneider, Reckless Ben LLC and Victor Nguyen filed a Notice of Removal on June 26, moving the case to the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah.

The filing says federal jurisdiction applies because the parties are from different states and more than $300,000 is in dispute.

The move pauses the state case unless it is sent back, and the restraining order fight is now expected to continue in federal court.