In re Ex Parte Application of Leroy Bressington
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
- Court
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
- Docket
- No. 3:25-mc-80312
- Parties
- Leroy Bressington, p/k/a Royel Maddell (applicant, guitarist of Royel Otis), seeking discovery from Reddit, Inc.
- Claim type
- defamation
- Filed
- 2025
- Outcome
- Application denied. On December 24, 2025, Judge William Alsup denied the ex parte application under 28 U.S.C. 1782(a), calling it overreaching and overburdensome.
Summary
Royel Otis guitarist Royel Maddell (legal name Leroy Bressington) filed an ex parte application under 28 U.S.C. 1782(a) in the Northern District of California, where Reddit is headquartered, seeking to compel Reddit to disclose identifying data for anonymous users who posted now-deleted allegations in r/triplej about a relationship with an underage music student. He sought the information to contemplate a defamation suit in Australia. In a December 24, 2025 order, Judge William Alsup denied the application as overreaching and overburdensome. Alsup emphasized that counsel only said they would be prepared to initiate litigation rather than commit to filing, that no suit had been filed anywhere, and that the application had not specifically rejected the core allegation as false.