Legal update in Reckless Ben vs. Bricks & Minifigs battle over 'stolen' $200,00 LEGO
Update June 19: added a statement from Bricks & Minifigs at the end of this article.
The legal wranglings between Ben "Reckless Ben" Schneider and the Bricks & Minifigs franchise have taken another turn, with a collection of 'stolen' LEGO sets remaining at the center of the case. Evolving far beyond the missing sets of Bryan Mansell, Reckless Ben entered the picture with a gonzo-style YouTube investigation that made things go viral but landed him in even more hot water.
Schneider has spoken out about his multiple arrests, with leaked police bodycam footage coming alongside accusations that the 'Mormon Mafia' was covering up the LEGO scandal.
Bricks & Minifigs has defended itself, while former franchise owner Chrystal Law-Gorman has also spoken out. An investigation from Coffeezilla suggested that multiple people's accounts weren’t adding up, as well as the idea that the missing LEGO is valued at far less than $200,000. That brings us roughly up to where things are in June 2026.
Reckless Ben lawsuit gets a June 2026 update
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There's been something of a Streisand effect against Bricks & Minifigs, with the Keizer, Oregon, store permanently shutting its doors, allegations of death threats, and a GoFundMe for Mansell raising $500,000.
With Bricks & Minifigs launching a lawsuit against Reckless Ben, the latter has gone quiet and even pulled out of posting a third video about his investigation.
As noted by Dexerto, the Ben Schneider, Reckless Ben LLC, Bryan Mansell, Victor Nguyen, and Does 1-15 lawsuit might've hit a stumbling block. This comes as Law-Gorman and her husband, Benjamin Gorman, filed a June 16 attempt to intervene. In this update, Law-Gorman and Gorman argue that they aren't defendants in the Reckless Ben lawsuit, and instead, are involved in their own separate dispute with Bricks & Minifigs.
They claim that BAM's temporary restraining order (TRO) against Schneider and co. bleeds into their dispute because it demands the removal of publications that "in any way relate to the private legal dispute underlying this matter between Bryan and Chrystal."
Where is part three of Reckless Ben's investigation?
Named as Chrystal Law in the filing, she and Benjamin Gorman ask the court to modify or dissolve the TRO because it could affect those not connected to the Schneider case.
The pair continue to argue that their own protected speech is in danger of being restricted by BAM's TRO. Both have been vocal in telling their side of the story and sharing it online.
It's important to note that Schneider maintains Bricks & Minifigs' filing is why his final video hasn't been posted. If a judge sides with Law and Gorman and agrees to dissolve or narrow the TRO, there's a chance we could see Reckless Ben's mythical video.
Of course, there's no direct mention of Schneider's video, and instead, it could simply allow a future opportunity to argue it should be released to the world.
Schneider is keeping his silence on the whole debacle, but with the implication that part three contains some juicy and potentially legally dangerous reveals, we'll have to keep guessing for now.
Bricks & Minifigs has given the following statement to UNILADTech: "We have worked diligently to resolve the Mansell collection issue. This is an isolated and unfortunate incident related to a single former franchisee and does not reflect the integrity of more than 300 other franchisees. Much of the reporting on this issue includes inaccurate information, most notably the collection’s value, which is far less than the reported $200,000.
"Also, at no point did we make any legal attempt to seize the Mansell family GoFundMe account or any other GoFundMe account, nor did we ever approve consignments as an authorized sales process. Following a thorough legal investigation of this matter, we have determined this former franchisee operated in contrast to corporate’s procedures and expectations for franchisees.
"As a result, we have enhanced the following procedures across all of our locations, including: More rigorous record-keeping and inventory management, transparency in the buy, sell and trade process, and comprehensive staff training on professional conduct and corporate protocols. We remain committed to resolving this issue in a way that all parties can endorse."