PROVO — A Utah Lego reseller has reached a truce with a popular YouTuber after accusing the channel of defamation. The two have now agreed to mediate their dispute, seeking to avoid a public lawsuit.
The agreement both parties submitted to the court will reverse a restriction keeping Ben Schneider, also known on YouTube as Reckless Ben, from posting more videos in his alleged Lego-theft series.
Schneider’s videos accusing Bricks and Minifigs of stealing a large Star Wars Lego collection left with an Oregon franchise on a consignment agreement went viral. The series that got picked up by multiple creators led the company to file a lawsuit accusing him and others involved in the videos of defamation, disparagement, conspiracy, stalking, trespass and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Fourth District Judge Tony Graf Jr. entered an order that, among other things, forces Schneider to take down his videos and not publish any more videos about the controversy, although Schneider had not yet had an opportunity to present any arguments to the judge.
The agreement canceled a hearing later this month, where Graf would have heard arguments from both sides before deciding whether to make the temporary orders last throughout the case; instead, the two parties agreed on what those would be.
Schneider agreed that he — and anyone working directly or indirectly with him — would not make threats against Bricks and Minifigs; engage in property destruction, stalking or trespassing; publish personal contact information; go within 100 yards of the Bricks and Minifigs offices, stores and its owners; impersonate anyone to get a signature or recordings; deface any signs; block any customers or solicit employees of Bricks and Minifigs to get confidential information.
Most of those things were outlined in the previous order signed by Graf, but the new one expressly stated it does not prohibit Schneider and those associated with him from commenting on the lawsuit, publishing court findings and expressing “opinions, criticism, satire and/or commentary” through any lawful means.
As of Thursday, Graf had not yet signed the new order.
A motion filed with the court states that Schneider disputes the allegations in Bricks and Minifigs’ lawsuit and intends to file a claim against the company.
The video series included a chase that led Schneider to American Fork to track down the owners of the Oregon franchise to try to serve an Oregon lawsuit. He was arrested twice and later charged in Provo’s 4th District Court with stalking, a class A misdemeanor, and targeted residential picketing, a class B misdemeanor.
He was also charged with disorderly conduct, a class C misdemeanor and trespassing, a class B misdemeanor, after going to the Bricks and Minifigs corporate office in December.
In addition to criticizing Bricks and Minifigs, videos made by Schneider criticize the American Fork Police Department and show interactions he had with them and claiming constitutional violations.
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