September 15, 2010

A federal inmate who has filed more than 3,800 lawsuits focusing on the famous, the infamous and even the dead is being sued by federal officials who want him to stop.

Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to allow the federal Bureau of Prisons to screen the inmate's outgoing mail or designate a court employee to determine if his filings are frivolous and stop the mail from being sent.

Since 2006, the inmate, Lee Riches, has filed lawsuits in nearly every jurisdiction in the country.

Mr. Riches, 33, who dubbed himself “Lawsuit Zeus” in one of his court cases, has filed up to four handwritten petitions a day in Kentucky courts alone. He has sued the New England Patriots coach, Bill Belichick; former President George W. Bush; the celestial body formerly known as the planet Pluto; and the Guinness Book of World Records.

Sometimes Mr. Riches asks for money, other times an injunction to stop alleged activity. In the Guinness case, he wanted to prevent himself from being dubbed the most litigious man in America.