Welcome to a whirlwind tour of legal oddities where 10 people who took the bold (and baffling) step of suing themselves. From municipal dump trucks to art forgeries, each tale showcases the strange intersection of personal conflict and courtroom drama.
10 Curtis Gokey
Back in 2006, Curtis Gokey filed a $3,600 claim against the city of Lodi, California, after a municipal dump truck collided with his automobile. The twist? Gokey himself was behind the wheel of that very dump truck, making the lawsuit essentially a self‑inflicted claim.
The city promptly dismissed the suit, noting the obvious impossibility of suing oneself. Undeterred, Gokey’s spouse, Rhonda, stepped in and sued the city – and by extension, her husband – for $4,800, a sum $1,200 higher than Curtis’s original demand. City attorney Steve Schwabauer declared this move equally untenable.
California law treats spouses as a single legal entity for certain matters. While a wife may sue for divorce, she cannot bring a negligence claim on behalf of the couple. Rhonda argued that the city’s dump truck had harmed her vehicle, insisting that who was driving was irrelevant. Ultimately, the city won the case.
9 Oreste Lodi
In 1985, Oreste Lodi marched into a California courtroom demanding control over an estate he both owned and managed. He claimed the estate should be released to him, yet he also argued it should stay under his own control – essentially suing himself.
Lodi submitted two appellate briefs: one championing his right to retrieve the estate, the other opposing that very claim. The appellate court threw both away, emphasizing that a plaintiff and defendant must be distinct individuals. No matter the decision, Lodi would have been both winner and loser.
The court labeled the appeal frivolous, initially contemplating a fine for filing such a suit. Eventually, it ordered each “Lodi” – plaintiff and defendant – to cover the filing fees, meaning he paid twice. While the motive remains murky, tax concerns are suspected. Lodi even mailed a copy of his filing to the IRS.
8 Lothar Malskat
In 1952, German artist Lothar Malskat turned the courtroom into an art gallery by suing himself for fraud. The saga began after World War II bombings exposed hidden Gothic frescoes in Lübeck’s 13th‑century Marienkirche.
Restoration duo Dietrich Fey and Malskat were hired to revive the murals, though the original paintings had crumbled to dust. Their “restorations” were, in fact, elaborate forgeries that fooled the public in 1951. While Fey basked in fame and a larger share of the money, Malskat received a meager fraction.
Fed up, Malskat exposed the deception and simultaneously sued himself for fraud. He highlighted absurd details: Mary Magdalene was depicted barefoot despite the original showing shoes, and turkeys appeared in a medieval scene where they never existed. The church removed the fake frescoes, preserving only a small fragment as a reminder. Malskat served 18 months in prison and never achieved the recognition he coveted.
7 Robert Lee Brock
In 1995, inmate Robert Lee Brock, serving a 23‑year term at Indian Creek Correctional Center in Chesapeake, Virginia, filed a $5 million suit against himself, demanding the state cover the damages.
Brock alleged that on July 1, 1993 he had consumed alcohol, violating his religious convictions and leading to a criminal offense for which he was arrested. While incarcerated for burglary and grand larceny, he pursued the self‑suit hoping the state would foot the bill.
Judge Rebecca Beach Smith dismissed the case, acknowledging Brock’s creative legal maneuver but deeming it absurd. The lawsuit never progressed beyond that point.
6 Larry Rutman
On August 5, 1996, the South China Morning Post reported that Kentucky resident Larry Rutman of Owensboro sued himself for $300,000 and emerged victorious, though the payout would be collected by his insurance.
The incident stemmed from a boomerang that struck Rutman’s head, allegedly altering his memory and boosting his libido. Initially, he intended to sue the boomerang manufacturer, but his attorney suggested a self‑suit instead.
The court awarded Rutman $300,000 for “body damage through negligence and carelessness” inflicted upon himself. Some skeptics question the veracity of the story, but the judgment remains on record.
5 David Jennings
On January 8, 1899, The New York Times chronicled the case of David Jennings, treasurer of Labette County, Kansas, who sued himself and won.
Jennings refused to accept a tax payment he had made to himself for a property used in his business. The court sided with him, ordering that he could not be forced to pay taxes to himself.
4 John Fred Heiniger
On June 26, 1912, the Los Angeles Herald reported that John Fred Heiniger filed a suit against himself to quiet title – a legal term meaning to establish clear ownership and silence competing claims.
The newspaper gave no background, only noting that Heiniger succeeded in court, which paradoxically also meant he lost the suit.
Heiniger wore many hats: plaintiff, defendant, sole witness, and even the process server who delivered the court papers to himself.
3 Thomas Prusik‑Parkin
In 2003, Thomas Prusik‑Parkin launched a self‑suit to reclaim a house he had lost after defaulting on a $200,000 mortgage taken out in 1996 when his mother, Irene, transferred the property to him.
After the mortgage default, the house was sold to Samir Chopra. When Irene died that same year, Thomas falsified her social‑security number to conceal her death and siphoned her $700 monthly benefit.
Thomas claimed the 1996 deed transfer was forged – by himself – arguing he could not have legally mortgaged the property. He filed the suit in his mother’s name, effectively suing himself. Investigators uncovered the deception when Irene appeared at a meeting, dressed in women’s clothing and an oxygen tank, but it was Thomas in disguise.
Thomas had previously impersonated his mother to renew her driver’s license. He eventually received a 13‑year sentence for fraud, while his accomplice, Mhilton Rimolo, got three years.
2 Emert Wyss
In 2005, Illinois attorney Emert Wyss inadvertently sued himself after advising client Carmelita McLaughlin to sue Alliance Mortgage for “illegal fees.” The twist: the alleged illegal fees were charged by Centerre Title Company, which Wyss owned.
When Alliance Mortgage disclosed Centerre’s ownership, Wyss realized he was suing himself. The court ruled that both Wyss and Centerre needed to be parties for the case to proceed, forcing Wyss to step down as McLaughlin’s counsel and become the defendant.The judge eventually dismissed Wyss as a defendant, treating the two entities as separate. A sanction was considered but dropped after Wyss agreed not to charge attorney fees to Centerre, essentially avoiding paying himself.
1 Barbara Bagley
In 2015, 55‑year‑old Barbara Bagley sued herself after a December 2011 car crash in the Nevada desert that killed her husband, Bradley Vom Baur, ten days later.
Bagley sought compensation from the insurance company for her husband’s medical and funeral expenses. The insurer refused, arguing she was at fault for the accident, though it agreed to cover the vehicle. A Utah appeals court ruled that she could sue herself to obtain the insurance payout.
Thus, Barbara the widow sued Barbara the driver for negligence. She must now present evidence against herself to prove negligence. She hired counsel to represent the widow, while the driver‑self was defended by the insurer’s attorneys. Additionally, Bagley serves as personal representative of her husband’s estate, making her both two plaintiffs and one defendant in the same case.
The case remains unresolved, but the family’s dog, who survived the crash, was later found healthy after two months.