By: Joel Stephen Mattson
The court calls a name. You answer. But in that split second, a legal trick just took place—you agreed to be someone you’re not.
This is the false identity game, and it’s how courts convert living men and women into corporate fictions they can control, charge, fine, and imprison. But you’re not powerless. You can rebut that presumption legally and permanently—if you know how to do it right, and put it on the record.
This article exposes how the game works—and gives you the tools to crush it.
What is the court’s false identity trick?
The NAME you see on a court docket—JOEL STEPHEN MATTSON, for example—isn’t you. It’s a legal fiction: a trust, a vessel, a corporate entity created by the state the moment your birth certificate was registered.
When you respond to that NAME without objection, the court presumes:
- You are the fiction
- You accept all liabilities assigned to it
- You consent to being governed under codes, statutes, and policy
- You waive all unalienable rights and accept civil privileges instead
This is how they get jurisdiction. Not with evidence. Not with contracts. With your silence.
How the trick happens in real time
The judge or clerk calls your case:
“Case number 7781, STATE OF TEXAS vs. JOEL STEPHEN MATTSON.”
You answer:
“Here.”
“That’s me.”
“Yes, I’m Joel.”
And just like that, you’ve merged your living self with the government-created fiction. The court proceeds under that assumption—unless you rebut it, in writing, on the record.
Supreme Court case law that confirms identity must be clear
- Hale v. Henkel, 201 U.S. 43 (1906): “There is a clear distinction… between an individual and a corporation.”
- Thompson v. Smith, 154 SE 579 (1930): “The right to travel is part of the liberty of which the citizen cannot be deprived.”
- Boykin v. Alabama, 395 U.S. 238 (1969): No rights can be waived unless clearly and voluntarily done with full understanding.
- United States v. Minker, 350 U.S. 179 (1956): The Constitution requires a clear legal identity before jurisdiction can be established.
These rulings show that you are not required to be the NAME. You are not required to join the fiction. And once you rebut the presumption, the court must prove otherwise.
How to rebut the NAME and separate yourself from it
The court can only proceed against the NAME. If you make it clear you are not that NAME, they lose authority unless they can prove joinder.
Here’s how to break it:
- File an affidavit of status: Declare you are a living man or woman, not the fiction
- Deny joinder: State clearly that you do not consent to be joined with the NAME
- Refuse to answer as the NAME: Instead, say “I am the authorized representative for that NAME”
- Reserve all rights under UCC 1-308
- Demand proof of contract or authority that binds you to that NAME
- Document every interaction and enter objections on the record
Once done, they are proceeding against their own fiction—not you. If they continue, they are now liable under color of law.
How Joel Stephen Mattson exposed the identity fraud
In my own civil rights case, they tried to treat me as the NAME listed in Exhibit C. But they didn’t expect me to:
- File affidavits stating I am not the legal fiction
- Rebut jurisdiction and joinder on every filing
- Refuse to answer as the NAME
- Turn every document they filed into evidence of fraud
They built the trap assuming I’d step into it. I dismantled it on paper—and now every presumption is broken.
What others have done to win their case
Across the country, people have:
- Rejected joinder to the NAME and forced courts to drop charges
- Filed affidavits separating themselves from legal fictions
- Refused administrative procedure until identity was clarified
- Sued officials under § 1983 for operating without proper identity confirmation
- Used body cam footage to prove officers never confirmed lawful identification
This isn’t theory. This is action. And it’s winning cases across every state—when used properly and fearlessly.
How to do it right in your own case
- File your affidavit of status with the court
- Serve it to the judge, clerk, and opposing party
- Begin every filing with “I am a living man, not the legal fiction NAME”
- Refuse joinder on the record
- Object to all presumptions of identity, citizenship, and consent
- Make every violation a future exhibit
Once they can’t prove you are the NAME—they’ve lost jurisdiction.
Related Articles
To reinforce this strategy, study these:
- The Truth About Case Numbers and Legal Fictions
- How the Government Creates Legal Fictions to Replace the People
- How to Shut Down Jurisdiction with a Single Filing
- How to Force the Court to Prove Jurisdiction with One Filing
Final thoughts
The NAME is not you. It’s their fiction, and they need you to play the part. But when you stop answering to the character and start speaking as the man—you break their entire process.
Because the truth is: they’re only winning because you don’t fight back on paper.
Make the record yours.
And let their own filings take them down.
Next Article in the Series: How to Use the Magistrate Act to Reverse Jurisdiction
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