Lawyer Matt Grant’s crusade against family court hits a brick wall
By Richard Luthmann with Michael Volpe
From Landmark to Laughingstock
Matt Grant, a 49-year-old St. Louis lawyer, billed his federal civil RICO suit as the exposé of the “largest criminal courthouse corruption scheme in the history of the State of Missouri.” In August, he filed a 170-page complaint (Case No. 4:25-CV-01203-JMD) naming his family court judge, the State of Missouri, his ex-wife, and over 100 other individuals as defendants.
Last month, Grant joined The Unknown Podcast with hosts Michael Volpe and Richard Luthmann, and painted a rosy picture of the case.
But a searing September 3 show-cause order by Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Joshua M. Divine took a flamethrower to Grant’s ambitions. Despite Grant’s two decades of legal experience, Judge Divine found the complaint “plainly deficient many times over” and suggested it was filed “for an unlawful…vindictive purpose.”
He gave Grant an ultimatum: by September 15, either radically cut down and amend the complaint or show cause in writing why it shouldn’t be tossed and why he shouldn’t be sanctioned. If Grant fails to comply, the judge warned, “Failure to do so may lead to sanctions or dismissal.” The once “landmark” case is now on life support, its author under the gun to rescue his case or face legal fire.
Grant cast himself as a crusader exposing a so-called “shadow network” of judges, lawyers, and guardians ad litem who conspired to deprive him of his children in retaliation for his whistleblowing. His complaint describes a “criminal enterprise” in the family courts extorting parents for money and power – allegations he admitted might sound “unbelievable” or “delusional” but maintained were true.
Judge Slams “Scattershot” 170-Page Complaint
Judge Divine’s show-cause order is a point-by-point takedown of Grant’s filing. It notes that the bombastic 170-page complaint – with 790 allegations and 21 counts for relief – flouts basic pleading rules. The lawsuit is neither short nor plain: after 47 pages of rambling narrative, it piles on hundreds of paragraphs in what Divine calls a “scattershot” barrage.
The judge cited Rule 8 and Rule 10(b) violations, noting that the 47 unnumbered pages leave defendants unsure how to answer. Fundamental legal errors abound. Grant even sued the State of Missouri – ignoring the State’s sovereign immunity (“privilege…not to be sued without its consent”).
He demands unprecedented relief (like removing and disbarring state judges) without explaining how a federal court could do that. Essentially, Grant’s suit tries to relitigate his custody case in federal court. But as Divine dryly observed, federal courts won’t hear cases from “state-court losers” unhappy with state judgments, and judges have absolute immunity – “allegations of malice or corruption do not defeat judicial immunity.”
All of this led the judge to question Grant’s intent. It’s “not readily apparent” how a 170-page, 100-defendant RICO blast could serve any proper purpose other than spite, Divine wrote. The “nature of this complaint” – especially from a seasoned lawyer – raised a serious possibility that Grant filed it to harass others out of vindictiveness.
Judge Divine made clear Grant gets no slack: as an attorney, he “will not be given the leniency” reserved for pro se litigants, and Grant’s legal expertise only “aggravates” the complaint’s flaws.
Podcast Hosts Torch Grant’s “Suicidal” Legal Gambit
The court’s smackdown is being echoed by commentators – including the very podcasters who initially dove into Grant’s case. On a September 10 episode of The Unknown Podcast, co-hosts Richard Luthmann and Michael Volpe tore into Grant’s complaint as a self-defeating mess.
Volpe said Judge Divine “took a flamethrower” to the case and basically told Grant, ‘not only is it garbage, I have questions about your motives.’ ” The hosts, who interviewed Grant weeks earlier, didn’t mince words.
“It’s absurd. You can’t use a federal lawsuit to remove judges…there’s no way,” Volpe exclaimed, blasting Grant’s strategy as doomed.
Luthmann likened Grant’s unwieldy conspiracy claims to a “Beautiful Mind” pinboard of suspects connected by red yarn – “outta control,” he said. The podcasters even questioned Grant’s grip on reality after the judge’s rebuke.
“If you don’t have any new concerns after a judge basically says he’ll dismiss the case and maybe sanction you, then you might be delusional,” Volpe warned.
The case may become yet another cautionary tale about how broad claims of “conspiracy” and conclusory allegations don’t get you to first base in federal court.
Luthmann revealed he sent Grant a detailed list of 14 factual rebuttals from a source – disputing things Grant said in the lawsuit and on their show – and asked him for comment.
“He hasn’t responded to me,” Luthmann noted, adding that he’ll give Grant “until September 15th” to reply since “maybe as a lawyer he’s looking to do his speaking with his pleadings.”
But by stonewalling, Luthmann said, Grant has “lost a lot of…credibility.” To date, Grant has ignored media inquiries, including this outlet’s request for comment sent to his email (mattgrant.stl@gmail.com). Here’s what we asked:
From: Richard Luthmann <richard.luthmann@protonmail.com>
Date: On Monday, September 8th, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Subject: Follow Up Questions
To: mattgrant.stl@gmail.com <mattgrant.stl@gmail.com>
CC: Michael Volpe <mvolpe998@gmail.com>Matt,
I received these claims from a source. Do you have any comments? Can you provide any documents/evidence refuting these claims?
1.) Mr. Grant’s two attorney’s withdrew due to his absurd demands.
2.) Mr. Grant has filed 60+ motions in this case – that is what has extended the case. He could have simply said, “I need help, and it would be good if Mom kept the kids for a bit while I do that.” That is all that we were asking.
3.) The Respondent has spent over $100K responding to Mr. Grant’s motions. Conversely, she has filed fewer than 10 motions.
4.) Both the GAL and the Respondent’s attorney are working pro bono at this point.
5.) A panel of judges is making the determination on Mr. Grant’s custody. Not Judge Hilton.
6.) One of the witnesses has spent $40K in attorney’s fees responding to his motions. Her only action has been to testify for 20 minutes.
7.) Mr. Grant has been largely pro se – reducing his overall costs. He has spent the least amount of money overall.
8.) Mr. Grant has a long history of delusions, hallucinations, and mental health issues. His family believes that his alcoholism has caused long term, permanent brain damage. This is evident in his pleadings.
9.) The children accessed Mr. Grant’s gun safe with their friends and recorded/posted a TikTok playing with Mr. Grant’s guns while he was passed out in his bedroom.
10.) He lost his job – he is not “on sabbatical.”
11.) He is estranged from all his friends and family.”
12.) Re: the Judge’s ruling while Mr. Grant was “out of town:” Mr. Grant was ordered to take a drug test. He left for Mexico and filed a statement that Judge Hilton was “trying to assassinate him.” He “fled the country for his own safety.” He returned approximately six weeks later and passed his drug test.
13.) The police are investigating Mr. Grant for illegally accessing witness email accounts.
14.) Mr. Grant has accused Judge Hilton of setting up “fake hearings” so that the Judge could have him assassinated. Thus, he didn’t show up for those hearings.Also, please send a copy of your submission for the 15th once it is filed.
Thank you for your attention to this matter!
Regards,
Richard LuthmannWriter, Journalist, and CommentatorTips or Story Ideas:(239) 631-5957Substack: This is For Real.Editor-In-Chief: TheFamilyCourtCircus.comContributor: Frank ReportContributor: Sun Bay Paper
Please note, these are merely allegations. However, the claims about the children “accessing a gun safe with their friends” and “recorded/posted a TikTok playing with guns while Grant was passed out in his bedroom” could be the most shocking evidence of all in this case. We are actively trying to obtain the footage.
Ex-Wife’s Camp Raises Red Flags – “Erratic, Delusional”
While Grant remains publicly silent, the source close to his ex-wife is speaking out – painting a disturbing picture of Grant’s state of mind. Grant’s ex-wife – the mother of his children – is herself one of 16 named defendants in his RICO lawsuit.
In emails to reporters from the account “factcheckinggrant@gmail.com,” this individual claims Grant’s behavior has been erratic and driven by paranoia. Even after getting sober, Grant is allegedly so unstable that those around him worry about “additional drug use, alcoholic dementia, mental illness, delusions [and] violent hallucinations.”
The source also reveals that from January 2024 through September 2024, Grant filed roughly 160 motions and pleadings in the ongoing custody dispute – an onslaught averaging 17 filings per month. Each barrage forces responses from the ex-wife’s attorney and the children’s guardian ad litem (Grant is representing himself in that case). Yet Grant seems undeterred by the time and cost this legal blitz imposes on others.
“It’s completely out of control,” the source wrote in one email.
This new information only intensifies concerns that Grant’s RICO crusade is not only legally deficient but potentially fueled by personal vendetta – echoing the judge’s concern that the suit was filed out of vindictiveness.
Now, with the September 15 deadline looming, Grant must drastically narrow his case or see it thrown out. If he refuses to concede, he risks court-imposed sanctions – a self-inflicted defeat in the battle and perhaps utter annihilation in his war.
