Investigations Archive

Independent OSINT

Oversight or ethics investigations initiated by Onion Madder.

Ramsey County Fee-Waiver Administration and Appellate Access Review

Status: Ongoing.

Examination of Ramsey County District Court fee-waiver practices as applied to civil and appellate filings, with particular focus on inconsistent handling of in-forma-pauperis (IFP) requests, timing-dependent denials, and administrative barriers to appellate access.

This review situates Ramsey County's practices within controlling Minnesota authority, including AmBer Jemison v. CPS and Nelson v. Arroyo, which prohibit procedural or administrative mechanisms that functionally block appellate review through fee enforcement. The inquiry further examines patterns observed across multiple proceedings involving Referee Nicole Starr, including repeated fee-related obstacles arising after jurisdiction had shifted to the Court of Appeals.

The investigation focuses on whether fee-waiver denials and payment demands were applied consistently, lawfully, and without retaliatory or chilling effect, and whether local practices diverge from statutory and appellate requirements governing access to review.

Full case here

Antonio Dupree Wright - Register of Actions Discrepancy Review

Status: Ongoing.

Analysis of conflicting Registers of Actions associated with Wright's underlying Ramsey County criminal case (62-CR-22-5111), as surfaced in federal civil-rights litigation. Federal filings include both a clean, chronological public MCRO record and a separate internal/attorney-facing ROA exhibiting non-sequential index numbers, bundled filings, and reordered events, mirroring patterns documented in other Ramsey County cases.

The review focuses on how dual or unstable ROA representations affect notice, timing-dependent rights, and judicial reliance, particularly when internal versions are treated as authoritative in downstream proceedings.

Full case here

United States Department of Justice

Ramsey County, Minnesota - ADA Retaliation and Due-Process Inquiry

Status: Under active review.

DOJ Civil Rights Division is examining allegations of ADA retaliation, denial of accommodation, and irregular court fee handling in Ramsey County. Initial confirmation of investigation was received; subsequent correspondence is pending release.

Full case here

Ramsey County, Minnesota - Fee Handling Practices

Status: Ongoing.

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Full case here

Minnesota Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board (LPRB)

Kyle Manderfeld - Conflict of Interest Complaint

Status: Administratively Closed.

LPRB declined to investigate attorney Kyle Manderfeld after submitting a conflict-of-interest complaint, citing factual misstatements and record ambiguities later addressed in federal filings.

Full case here

Brett Bacon - Evidence Handling and Professional Conduct

Status: No Response.

Summary: A separate request to investigate Brett Bacon for potential evidence laundering and misrepresentation remains under administrative review.

Full case here

Resolved

Cases that are won, settled, or otherwise resolved.

Flat-Fee Scope and Public Accountability

The Importance of Documentation and Negotiation

This case established how persistent recordkeeping and clear communication can transform a dispute into a documented resolution. Through consistent documentation and negotiation, what began as a conflict became a model for transparent, self-advocated settlement.

Read the full case here

Registrar Abuse Reports and Domain Retention

Knowing the Rules and Standing Your Ground

A matter resolved through procedural awareness and persistence, this case underscored that legal literacy is a form of protection - and that self-represented parties can prevail when they know the process.

Read the full case here

Each case listed here represents a completed chapter - proof that persistence, transparency, and self-advocacy can produce tangible outcomes. Full case summaries and exhibits are available for public review as they are cleared for release.