(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office)
KENOSHA, Wis. — A federal judge appointed by President Donald Trump has sanctioned a 38-year-old Kenosha man for repeatedly filing frivolous lawsuits that appeared designed to harass people involved in his child custody proceedings. U.S. District Judge Brett H. Ludwig issued two scathing orders Friday, October 9, 2026, against Mathiew Rae Fox, who was convicted of disorderly conduct in August after originally facing felony stalking and other criminal charges. Ludwig prohibited Fox from filing additional custody-related lawsuits in the Eastern District of Wisconsin and warned that continued abuse of the judicial system could result in monetary sanctions.
Ludwig called Fox a “vexatious pro se litigant” — a legal term describing someone who repeatedly files lawsuits without sufficient legal grounds, often to harass others or abuse the judicial process. The judge described Fox’s litigation as “unreasonable and vexatious,” characterized one of his legal theories as “nonsensical,” and found that his filing history was “consistent with efforts to harass the defendants.” Ludwig also wrote that Fox’s conduct “strongly suggested that he pursued frivolous claims to harass the defendants.” He criticized Fox’s apparent reliance on artificial intelligence to prepare legal filings and described one of his submissions as a “screed against the state court and the various defendants.”
One of the defendants Fox sued was the woman who had previously accused him of stalking and obtained a harassment injunction against him. She was also the complaining witness in a criminal case that originally charged Fox with felony stalking and three violations of a harassment injunction. Ludwig specifically identified the woman among those Fox appeared intent on harassing through litigation. It remains unclear whether she will ask the Kenosha County District Attorney’s Office to investigate whether Fox’s federal lawsuits violated her active harassment injunction.
Federal Judge Finds Pattern Of Harassing Litigation
Fox filed two federal lawsuits within five days of each other earlier this year, naming people connected to his child custody proceedings, including Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Heather Iverson, Court Commissioner Alexandra Smathers, his former partner, her attorney, the woman who accused him of stalking, and mental health service providers. Fox alleged constitutional violations and sought federal intervention in disputes that had already been litigated in Wisconsin courts.
Ludwig dismissed both lawsuits July 15, finding that Fox was improperly attempting to challenge state court decisions through the federal judicial system. Fox had already lost in state court and on appeal, and the federal court lacked jurisdiction to revisit those rulings. Ludwig also identified additional legal problems with Fox’s claims, including judicial immunity and his attempts to sue private individuals who were not acting on behalf of the government.
Rather than stopping at dismissal, Ludwig ordered Fox to explain why he should not face sanctions for abusing the judicial process. Fox submitted lengthy responses that the judge believed were largely prepared using artificial intelligence. Ludwig rejected his explanations and concluded that Fox’s litigation was not a legitimate effort to vindicate constitutional rights.
“The Court finds that Fox’s repetitive litigation has been unreasonable and vexatious,” Ludwig wrote.
The judge imposed a filing restriction prohibiting Fox from submitting any further complaints in the Eastern District of Wisconsin related to his custody case or related proceedings. He directed the clerk of court not to accept such complaints and warned that additional meritless filings could result in financial penalties.
Two Generous Deals From Two Different District Attorney Administrations
Fox’s federal court sanctions follow years of legal disputes and two notably favorable resolutions of potential criminal liability under two different Kenosha County district attorney administrations.
In 2023, under former District Attorney Michael Graveley’s administration, then-Deputy District Attorney Carli A. McNeill entered into an agreement with Fox in which prosecutors promised not to file criminal charges arising from an investigation involving intimate photographs or recordings.
The potential offenses included unlawfully capturing an intimate representation without consent, possessing or distributing an unlawfully captured intimate representation, and publishing a private intimate representation without consent. Two of the identified offenses were Class I felonies.
Rather than prosecute those potential offenses, McNeill agreed to withhold charges as long as Fox complied with certain conditions. Those included obeying the existing restraining order, refraining from additional violations of Wisconsin’s intimate-representation laws, and not threatening to share or publish intimate images without consent.
The agreement specifically provided that prosecutors would no longer be bound by their promise not to charge Fox if he violated its conditions.
Despite receiving that extraordinarily favorable opportunity to avoid prosecution, Fox was charged by the State of Wisconsin in November 2025 with felony stalking, three counts of knowingly violating a harassment injunction, and criminal defamation. Prosecutors alleged that Fox continued targeting a woman through online postings, communications with her employers, and other conduct despite a court order restricting contact. The criminal charges were brought by the state, not personally filed by the woman who reported the alleged conduct.
According to the criminal complaint, the woman told investigators she feared for her life and believed Fox might eventually kill her. Assistant District Attorney Vince Kurta handled the case, which ultimately resulted in another favorable plea agreement for Fox.
On August 20, 2026, Fox pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct before Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Jodi L. Meier (D). The original felony stalking charge was amended to disorderly conduct as part of the plea agreement, while the four remaining charges were dismissed and read in. Assistant District Attorney Vince Kurta negotiated the agreement on behalf of the state.
Meier imposed a $500 fine plus court costs, and Fox agreed to pay $4,250 in restitution to the woman. Fox received no jail time and no probation. During the sentencing hearing, Meier also praised Fox’s educational accomplishments, highlighting his master’s degree despite the serious allegations that originally brought him before the court.
The two agreements, negotiated under separate district attorney administrations, meant Fox avoided prosecution on the potential intimate-representation offenses identified in 2023 and later avoided a felony conviction in the 2025 stalking prosecution. The earlier allegations were never adjudicated as criminal convictions, and the later case ended with a misdemeanor conviction.
Judge Iverson Told Fox He Was The Problem
Ludwig’s orders also highlighted a revealing exchange from Fox’s child custody proceedings. Fox himself submitted a transcript in which Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Heather Iverson directly confronted him about his behavior.
“Mr. Fox, you seem to be a very intelligent man and I pray this doesn’t fall on deaf ears, but I have a feeling it will. You are clearly the issue and the problem here,” Iverson told him.
Iverson questioned whether Fox’s ego and pride prevented him from recognizing his own role in the ongoing disputes. Ludwig pointed to the exchange while examining Fox’s continued insistence that his federal lawsuits were unrelated to his dissatisfaction with state court decisions.
Fox also submitted a lengthy letter criticizing the state court system and complaining about child support, supervised visitation, and his children referring to him by his first name rather than calling him Dad. Ludwig observed that although many of Fox’s other submissions appeared to have been written primarily using artificial intelligence, this particular letter appeared to have been written by Fox himself.
The federal judge found that the letter further undermined Fox’s insistence that he was not attempting to relitigate his custody dispute.
Fox Misses Appeal Deadline And Loses Another Legal Challenge
Ludwig also rejected Fox’s requests to extend the deadlines for appealing the July dismissals. Fox’s notices of appeal were due August 14 but were not received until August 17. Fox claimed he had previously mailed an appeal that was never docketed, but acknowledged discovering the problem August 12.
The judge found that Fox had time to correct the problem and failed to establish good cause or excusable neglect. Ludwig noted that Fox could have immediately mailed another notice, contacted the clerk’s office, or delivered the document personally.
In one case, Fox also sought permission to amend his complaint based on an argument involving plea negotiations in his criminal prosecution and the woman who had accused him of stalking. Ludwig rejected the argument, calling the theory “nonsensical.”
The judge emphasized that Fox’s lawsuits lacked legal merit regardless of his claimed motivations. His findings about Fox’s apparent efforts to harass the defendants provided an additional basis for imposing sanctions.
Federal Court Finally Draws The Line
The October 9 orders represent the strongest federal judicial response yet to Fox’s extensive litigation. His disputes have generated proceedings involving judges, attorneys, court officials, mental health professionals, his former partner, and a woman who previously sought court protection from him.
Ludwig has now concluded that Fox’s repetitive federal litigation was unreasonable, vexatious, and consistent with efforts to harass the people he sued. His decision goes beyond dismissing two lawsuits: it formally restricts Fox’s ability to bring further custody-related complaints in the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
For the woman who accused Fox of stalking, the rulings raise another question. After two favorable prosecutorial agreements under two different district attorney administrations, it remains unclear whether she will ask prosecutors to examine whether Fox’s federal lawsuits violated her active harassment injunction.
For now, a federal judge has sanctioned Fox, ordered the courthouse clerk to reject future custody-related complaints, and warned that additional frivolous litigation could cost him money.
One Response
This guy was such an idiot he got fired from HuHot. He was a weird little freak then and apparently he still is. He should start asking himself “how hot” for a reality check. Also he likes to bang dudes secretly. Have some respect and just come out of the closet already.