Man Sues Government Agencies, Labled Vexatious Litigant [Audio]

State judge John Larson signed a court order at the end of April that brands Philipsburg resident Richard Motta as a vexatious litigant.

The charge prevents Motta from suing governmental agencies without obtaining approval from the court first.

Motta says that the ruling "not only sends a message to me, it sends a message to everybody that's out there. Don't come in and protest against the government because if you do we're going to have our lawyers take you to court and we're going to make this extremely costly for you and we'll declare you a vexatious litigant also."

Motta has challenged the court many times over what he sees as breaches of the constitution (usually about the openness of government meetings). Motta says that the vexatious litigant charge unfairly uses prior cases that had nothing to do with his most recent case concerning zoning in the Georgetown Lake area.

If you click the audio link below, you will here Motta explain the details of the case and his side of the story. Motta says that he will appeal the case at the Supreme Court.