Manderfeld Goes Nuclear
Date: November 10, 2025
On November 10, 2025, attorney Kyle T. Manderfeld filed a Motion for Contempt in Ramsey County District Court, accompanied by a request for an arrest warrant. The basis of his request was Plaintiff's public-record website-specifically the archive documenting procedural irregularities in the HRO case and related state proceedings.
The Allegations
Manderfeld asserted that Plaintiff had violated the HRO by "uploading private images" of Defendant Madeline Lee to her website. In reality, the images were public posts made by Defendant herself, which Plaintiff lawfully archived as part of her ongoing documentation efforts and pending federal litigation.
His motion further mischaracterized the HRO as containing restrictions that do not exist, attempting to reinterpret it as a blanket gag order against commentary, documentation, or public accountability.
The Request for Arrest
In an extraordinary escalation, Manderfeld asked the court to issue an arrest warrant based solely on the existence of Plaintiff's website. No prior warning, notice, or communication was provided to Plaintiff. The filing occurred after hours through e-filing, continuing the pattern of off-clock submissions used throughout the case.
Procedural Concerns
- The motion was filed without proper notice to Plaintiff.
- The alleged conduct is not prohibited by the HRO.
- The arguments rely on factual misrepresentations about the website content.
- The request for an arrest warrant circumvents due process requirements.
- No supporting evidence was provided beyond screenshots of publicly available material.
Immediate Impact
The motion triggered a chain of rapid filings: Plaintiff filed a Motion to Intervene on November 12, which the court denied the same day. The following morning, Judge Nicole Starr signed a hearing notice-one that was not mailed until eight days later.
This sequence, combined with the timing of the filings and Starr's sudden involvement, forms a critical part of the timeline now under federal review.