Reckless Incompetence | Ex Parte Application | Friedman

Herein is the Ex Parte Application for Order of Protection filed by Anthony R. Friedman d/b/a Friedman Law Firm LLC (petitioner) naming Albert B. Pepper Jr. d/b/a Phoenix Rising Productions LLC  (respondent) filed in the 11th Judicial Circuit of St. Charles County Missouri on April 9, 2026 (Case #2611-PN00554)

Name: Anthony R. Friedman a.k.a. Anthony Re. Friedman, Tony Friedman

Date of Birth: 01/13/1983 (as per public open source data)

Missouri Bar Number: 65531

Date of Licensure /  Missouri: 04/17/2013

Missouri Bar | Directory of Lawyers: <a href="https://mobar.org/site/content/For-the-Public/Lawyer_Directory_Detail.aspx?ID=abdd7db4-789d-4a29-860d-9c5d75d49527" rel="nofollow">Missouri Bar Directory Profile</a>

Friedman Law Firm LLC / Anthony R. Friedman - Registered Agent

Charter Number: LC014515351

Date of Organization: 12/27/2023

Missouri Secretary of State: https://bsd.sos.mo.gov/BusinessEntity/BusinessEntityDetail.aspx?page=beSearch&ID=4761848 

Business Address: 6209 Mid Rivers Mall Dr. p.m.b. #204 St. Charles (Saint Charles) Missouri 63304 (This is a private mail box within a UPS Store. There is no law firm staff nor infrastructure at this address.)

Business Phone: (314) 850-6044

Business Fax: (314) 850-6282

Business Email: tony@friedmanlawfirmllc.com 

Google Business Profile / Knowledge Graph | Friedman Law Firm LLC: https://share.google/aI4UXrFWRxGkH58f8

Google Maps / Coordinates | Friedman Law Firm LLC: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Friedman+Law+Firm+LLC/@38.6780335,-90.5367879,10z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x8441911426248b65:0x447673173680aa16!8m2!3d38.6780335!4d-90.5367879!16s%2Fg%2F11zhmmpnvd?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDgwNC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D 

Name: Albert B. Pepper Jr. 

Date of Birth: 12/05/1961

Society Of Professional Journalists | Member Number: 100088792

SPJ Org Member Profile: https://go.spj.org/member-profile.php%C2%A0 

Phoenix Rising Productions LLC / Albert B. Pepper Jr. - Registered Agent

Charter Number: LC014697768

Date of Organization: 01/18/2026

Missouri Secretary of State: https://bsd.sos.mo.gov/BusinessEntity/BusinessEntityDetail.aspx?page=beSearch&ID=5063402

Business Address: 2200 Varvera Rd. Doe Run, Missouri 63637-3121

Business Phone: (314) 580-1684

Business Email: litigant.pro.se.advocate@gmail.com 

About Page(s)

(Not) The Friedman Law Firm Saint Charles: https://notthefriedmanlawfirmsaintcharles.com/about-1

Shout It Out Loud: https://shoutitoutloud.org/about 

Jury-Watch: https://jury-watch.org/about-%7C-mission-statement 

(Not) The Friedman Law Firm LLC: https://notthefriedmanlawfirmllc.org/ 

 Case & Entity Overview

Metric / AttributeDocument Record DetailsJurisdiction

11th Judicial Circuit, St. Charles County, Missouri 

Case Number

2611-PN00554 

Protection Order ID

26-AEOP-413 

Filing Date

April 9, 2026 

Petitioner

Anthony Re Friedman (Age 43) 

Respondent

Albert Benny Pepper Jr. (Age 64) 

Document Type

Ex Parte Order of Protection / Petition for Order of Protection – Adult 

Relationship

Former Legal Client 

Next Hearing Date

May 13, 2026, at 9:00 AM (Division 12 Courtroom) 

Allegations

• Relationship Context: The petition designates the relationship between Petitioner Anthony R. Friedman and Respondent Albert Benny Pepper Jr. as a former legal client dynamic. 
• Pattern of Behavior: The filing alleges a continuous course of online stalking, harassment, and spoofed profiles beginning in Spring 2024 and escalating through April 2026. 
• Car Bombing Video Post: The petition specifically documents a January 2026 social media post featuring a car bombing video captioned with Petitioner’s name, an incident brought to Petitioner’s attention by the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL). 
• Targeted Conduct: The statement of facts details daily online communications, publication of Petitioner's home address alongside threatening imagery, and outreach to third parties including clients and professional contacts. 

Judicial Orders & Relief Requested

• Ex Parte Directives Issued: The court issued an immediate temporary order prohibiting Respondent from committing domestic violence, stalking, molesting, or disturbing the peace of Petitioner wherever located. 
• Communication & Proximity Restrictions: The temporary order forbids communication through any medium and orders Respondent to refrain from entering Petitioner's home or coming within specified distances. 
• Extended Protection Request: Petitioner requests a Full Order of Protection valid for 2 to 10 years based on serious danger, alongside orders mandating the removal of harassing online content, cessation of digital impersonation, and prohibitions on contacting Petitioner's business contacts. 

NOTE: The Ex Parte Application submitted by Anthony R. Friedman (petitioner) who is a "Sworn Officer Of The Court" made a multitude of false statements of fact under oath in violation of Missouri Model Rules (Rule 4) and perjury under Missouri Criminal Statutes. Below is a summary of the violations and criminal statutes. 

Under Missouri law, submitting false statements under oath in a court petition or official proceeding implicates several criminal statutes depending on the venue, format, and intent of the filing:

• Perjury (§ 575.040 RSMo): A person commits perjury if, with the purpose to deceive, they knowingly testify falsely to a material fact under oath or affirmation in an official court proceeding. Perjury in civil court matters is generally classified as a Class E felony.

• Making a False Declaration (§ 575.060 RSMo): A person commits this offense if, with the purpose to mislead a public servant (such as a judge or court clerk), they submit a written false statement under penalty of perjury on an official form that they do not believe to be true. This is classified as a Class B misdemeanor.

• Making a False Report (§ 575.080 RSMo): If the false statements include fabricated reports of criminal conduct or imminent physical harm submitted to or intended for law enforcement, it can constitute making a false report. Depending on the nature of the statement, this ranges from a Class B misdemeanor to a Class E felony.

Professional & Ethical Rules

Because attorneys are sworn officers of the court, knowingly submitting false material facts under oath triggers additional disciplinary action under the Missouri Rules of Professional Conduct:

• Rule 4-3.3 (Candor Toward the Tribunal): Prohibits a lawyer from knowingly making a false statement of fact or law to a tribunal or offering evidence that the lawyer knows to be false.

• Rule 4-8.4 (Misconduct): Classifies it as professional misconduct for a lawyer to engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation, or conduct that is prejudicial to the administration of justice. Violations can lead to state bar disciplinary proceedings, suspension, or disbarment.

 Legal Analysis: Motion to Dismiss Petition for Order of Protection

Respondent Albert B. Pepper Jr.’s Motion to Dismiss (filed May 5, 2026) in Case #2611-PN00554 serves as an aggressive substantive defense and procedural challenge to Petitioner Anthony R. Friedman’s Ex Parte Order of Protection. The motion focuses on statutory failure under Missouri’s Adult Abuse Act, professional rule violations, and Constitutional free speech protections. 

• Violation of Duty of Candor (Rule 4-3.3(d)):As an attorney, Petitioner is subject to Rule 4-3.3(d), which mandates disclosing all material adverse facts in an ex parte proceeding. Respondent argues Petitioner omitted key context: an active OCDC disciplinary investigation filed against Petitioner by Respondent (File #25-2531-X), a pending spoliation demand for a legal malpractice claim, and prior 2025 law enforcement reviews by SLMPD and St. Charles County Police that yielded no charges. 

• Failure to Meet "Immediate and Present Danger" Standard (§ 455.035 RSMo):Respondent asserts that imminent physical harm is a physical impossibility. He details that he is a 64-year-old, cane-dependent individual residing in a supervised residential care facility in Doe Run, MO (95 miles away), with no driver's license, vehicle, or firearms. This is supported by an affidavit from the facility administrator. 

• Stale Evidence & Lack of Jurisdictional Threshold:Citing Wallace v. Van Pelt, 969 S.W.2d 380 (Mo. App. W.D. 1998), Respondent contends that Petitioner relies on stale, years-old digital screenshots that fail to establish an  immediate, present threat required for injunctive emergency relief under the Adult Abuse Act. 

• Statutory Exclusion for Legitimate Purpose / First Amendment: Under RSMo § 455.010, harassment and stalking require a course of conduct that "serves no legitimate purpose." Respondent argues his reporting constitutes protected consumer advocacy, citizen journalism, and regulatory complaints regarding an attorney's commercial identity—precluding a finding of harassment. 

Argument Category Basis / Citation Respondent's Objective Duty of Candor

Mo. Sup. Ct. Rule 4-3.3(d) 

Dismiss the order due to bad-faith omissions to the court. 

Physical Impossibility

RSMo § 455.035; Facility Affidavit 

Refute the "immediate & present danger" jurisdictional element. 

Anti-SLAPP / Free Speech

First Amendment; RSMo § 455.010 

Frame the petition as an illegal prior restraint on public criticism. 

Abuse of Process

Wallace v. Van Pelt

Claim the protection order is a retaliatory tactic to disrupt OCDC proceedings. 

Clean Hands Doctrine

Precision Investments v. Mistele

Deny Petitioner equitable relief due to improper motives. 

The motion strategically shifts the framing of the dispute from an emergency personal safety threat to an ongoing business and regulatory dispute. By establishing extreme geographical distance, physical limitations, and an active bar complaint, Respondent targets the statutory elements required to maintain an Ex Parte Order in Missouri. 

As a result of Anthony R. Friedman d/b/a/ Friedman Law Firm LLC (petitioner) naming Albert B. Pepper Jr. d/b/a Phoenix Rising Productions LLC (respondent) the following "unintended consequences" that impact Friedman have occurred or will be soon forthcoming.

1) A secondary supplemental complaint to the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel was filed and added to the existing File #25-2531-X for further investigation of Missouri Model Rule Violations (Rule 4)  - The secondary supplement is hosted on the proceeding web domain / host for review and download.  https://notthefriedmanlawfirmsaintcharles.com/ocdc-second-supplemental 

2) The evidence is conclusive that Friedman made false statement of fact under oath which is a criminal act of perjury. Therefore, Pepper is creating an evidentiary package to support a complaint to be filed with the St. Francois County Police Department naming Anthony R. Friedman as the perpetrator that will be forwarded to Joseph G. McCulloch, Prosecuting Attorney of St. Charles County, Missouri seeking for the filing of charges upon Friedman and prosecution of the allegations. 

 3) Albert B. Pepper Jr. is considering the filing of a civil tort complaint naming Anthony R. Friedman, defendant seeking damages for "Malicious Prosecution", "Abuse of Process" and "Defamation Per Se". 

The Ex Parte Application for an order of protection failed on the merits and was recognized as an anti-slapp work around and an attempt to retain a low cost prior restraint on free speech. 

Recently, on April 13, 2026 Gov. Mike Kehoe signed into law Senate Bills: 835 and 1067 to provide journalists and consumer advocates statutory protection for just such a type of meritless anti-slapp overreach. "Uniform Public Expression Protection Act"- For a full treatment on the subject of the impact of these two senate bills and how they will enhance advocacy protections visit the follow web domain url: Academia Edu: https://www.academia.edu/170204643/Statutory_Impact_of_Missouri_Senate_Bills_835_and_1067_on_Consumer_Advocacy_Citizen_Journalism_and_Pro_Se_Litigation_An_Analytical_Exegesis_of_the_Uniform_Public_Expression_Protection_Act_UPEPA_Paradigm_Shift