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New lawyer joins the scrum; is he ready to sue?

Smiles may soon turn into frowns as many of the people cheering on a new lawyer may soon be defendants in lawsuits he files.

Michael Volpe's avatar
Michael Volpe
Feb 09, 2026
Cross-posted by Michael Volpe Investigates
"The loudest cheers often come from the people who least understand the board they’re standing on. In the Michelle Preston bankruptcy, a trustee’s move to bring in outside counsel has sparked celebration across the Hales ecosystem—on the assumption that a hired gun means asset-hunting against Preston. That reading misses the point entirely. Bankruptcy trustees hire contingency counsel to recover value, and value doesn’t just mean hidden bank accounts. It means viable claims. As the filing dust settles, the uncomfortable reality is emerging: the real money isn’t where Hales’ followers think it is—and the new lawyer may be looking straight at them."
- Richard Luthmann
Paragraph two has everyone wondering why a law firm was hired for Michelle Preston’s bankruptcy

A tantalizing paragraph in a recent filing has ignited debate in the Hales world.

Michelle Preston is going through bankruptcy, which has stalled most of the legal maneuvering in the Hales drama.

Earlier this month, the Trustee in the case, Theresa Bender, filed an application announcing that an attorney is being brought in.

“Applicant is the Chapter 7 Trustee herein and wishes to employ attorney Kevin Forsthoefel and the Ausley McMullen, P.A. (“Ausley McMullen”) law firm as counsel for the Chapter 7 Trustee.” Bender stated in the application.

Bender did not respond to an email for comment.

Kevin Forsthoefel also didn’t respond to an email for comment.

Kevin Forsthoefel from his law firm’s website.

The introduction of an attorney- who will get 40% of any monies recovered- has unleashed a torrent of speculation from the Hales universe about what Mr. Forsthoefel could be recovering.

The pro Hales crowd is certain that this means he will look under every rock to find hidden assets in Michelle Preston’s name, only there isn’t likely much to find.

Even as Hales biggest groupies are celebrating this new development, they could wind up the targets.

It’s possible that an attorney agreed to take on this case to find a few thousand dollars- 40% to himself- which Michelle may have hidden away, however, there is no evidence she is hiding much.

She represented herself until Bruce Matzkin agreed to take her case pro bono when Hales first sued her. All other lawyers either weren’t paid or through donations.

Michelle Preston’s biggest assets are many potential lawsuits against Hales and his followers for things like invasion of privacy, cyberstalking, defamation, and more.

I asked her bankruptcy attorney, Jerome Ramsaran, if this was the case, but he only stated, “Respectfully, the court record speaks for itself.”

The court record, in this case, is vague but a clue was revealed on a recent broadcast by That Umbrella Guy (TUG).

He, along with his guest Mr. Coop, wondered for several boring minutes why Travis Willis, another Preston tormenting YouTuber, recently got served with this application.

Willis is not a creditor or potential creditor.

He is, however, a potential target for a lawsuit.

TUG, Mr. Coop, Hales, Megan Fox and others could all be sued for numerous torts like defamation, invasion of privacy, and more.

Michelle could even revive her thumbnails lawsuit, which was withdrawn when her attorney, Scott Stark, got sick and died.

Florida attorney, Jenny Consuegra and her client Olga Nelson, could face an abuse of process claim, after Ms. Consuegra filed a bogus petition to have Michelle’s adoption of her daughter reversed.

That claim was meritless and dismissed days after it was filed. Jeremy Hales fundraised for the lawyer; if it’s shown he agreed knowing the claim was meritless, he has liability.

My former friend Megan Fox is facing enormous liability after falsely claiming that Michelle Preston suffers from Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSBP), based on the alleged statement of an anonymous source.

Megan faces even more scrutiny because she refused to correct the record, even after I provided her with a letter disproving her assertion.

Michelle and John told me they have had approximately thirty false and specious complaints to local social services against them regarding Michelle’s adoptive daughter.

If it’s shown those complaints were filed as part of a coordinated effort to harass using the social services as a weapon, there is more legal liability for some folks.

No one faces more legal liability than Hales. He’s defamed; filed many frivolous lawsuits, stalked, harassed, and tortured Michelle for about two years.

He also falsely accused Michelle of MSBP.

Claims against him are in the millions.

Forty percent of millions is a lot, and that’s a more likely reason that Mr. Forsthoefel agreed to join the bankruptcy.

Post-script

Check out the fundraiser to help me create more articles. Find articles one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth article.

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