Judicial accountability · Otter Tail County · Minnesota
Justice-Denied examines whether Minnesota courts deliver the fairness the law promises. We bring the record into public view so readers can understand what happened, evaluate the courts’ reasoning, compare how litigants were treated, and assess whether justice was served.
Featured investigations
Otter Tail County · Civil-jury study
Reached jury proceedings.
Civil cases with MCRO jury-trial settings, May 2018–Aug. 2026.
Outcomes as of Aug. 31, 2026.
Our own litigation prompted this investigation. Read alongside the rulings and procedural barriers we experienced, these findings reinforce our concern about how readily litigants can obtain a jury’s determination of disputed facts.
Independent judicial investigation
28
Addressed on the merits
1
Forfeited:
StevensonJustice-Denied reviewed 29 Minnesota appellate cases. In Stevenson, the Court of Appeals deemed the issue forfeited.
Judge Miller’s orders
STANDARD · P. 13“not to decide issues of fact”
ANALYSIS · P. 24“could reasonably support the opposite inference”
As of
Last identified verdict:
2 years 8 months 17 days
None identified · reviewed from
5 years 5 months 30 days
None identified · reviewed from
8 years 3 months 24 days
From Justice-Denied · Editorial cartoons
A sideways look at power.
Featured cartoon
Sworn declarations filed before the discovery ruling compared carrier entries with produced messages and identified gaps. This imagined quiz makes that mismatch the clue. Miller’s Order answers with fictional information, echoing its warning about further discovery requests. The host’s fiction-department question turns the response to a record-based inquiry into the punchline.
From the recordSeptember 23, 2021 declarations, Docs. 116, 119 and 122 - source and comparison excerpts (PDF)
More reporting
November 2, 2026
October 26, 2026
October 26, 2026
October 15, 2026
Why this site exists
This began with our family. We are Craig and Marie Stevenson of Fergus Falls, and what happened in Judge Miller’s courtroom raised questions that reach far beyond one case.
Justice-Denied documents what happened, tests the courts’ reasoning against the record, and places the evidence in public view. We provide the source material, context, and analysis readers need to reach their own conclusions.
Explore our stories →The people behind the record
About the author
Justice-Denied TeamThe Justice-Denied editorial team publishes records-based reporting focused on judicial conduct, evidence, transparency, and accountability.
