Contradictory Statements Under Oath

ChatGPT (AI) Analysis

Based on the materials you provided and Minnesota case law, Judge Kevin Miller’s June 16, 2023 summary judgment order in Stevenson v. Stevenson failed to address highly relevant evidence of contradictory sworn testimony by Defendant Lisa Stevenson-Allen—evidence that was directly presented to him prior to his ruling. This constitutes a significant departure from his own prior judicial approach in Brian Azure v. Jennie Bucholz, and raises serious questions about judicial consistency, impartiality, and adherence to summary judgment standards.

1. Contradictory Testimony: What Was Presented to Judge Miller

Plaintiffs’ June 2, 2023 letter (Doc. 424) explicitly documented that Lisa Stevenson-Allen’s sworn deposition testimony in 2022 contradicted her testimony under oath in the 2001 State v. Kelley criminal trial:

In 2001, Lisa testified that she had been sexually abused as a child by her grandfather and that this trauma was significant enough to warrant counseling and affect her family relationships.
In her 2022 deposition, Lisa flatly denied ever being abused by a family member and denied ever telling Craig about any abuse.

The contradictions were not subtle—they were categorical and irreconcilable. The letter highlighted that this inconsistency was material to Defendants’ narrative that Craig Stevenson was irrationally paranoid and controlling—by refuting any legitimate basis for his caution regarding certain family members.

2. Judge Miller’s Complete Omission in the Summary Judgment Order

Despite this evidence being submitted after the summary judgment hearing but prior to the ruling, Judge Miller’s 34-page June 16, 2023 order makes:

No mention of the June 2, 2023 letter;
No analysis of the conflict in sworn testimony;
No credibility finding about Lisa’s testimony or whether it affected material facts;
No judicial notice of the publicly available and directly relevant 2001 trial transcript.

This omission is glaring, given the fact that credibility and motive were central to evaluating the claims of IIED and conspiracy.

3. Inconsistent Judicial Reasoning: The Azure Precedent

In Brian Azure v. Jennie Bucholz (56-CV-18-2338), Judge Miller did the opposite:

“The Defendant’s current claim…is clearly inconsistent with her previous bankruptcy petition…this Court finds that the Defendant would derive an unfair advantage if not estopped…The Court will disregard Defendant’s affidavit…”

Here, Judge Miller not only recognized a contradiction under oath, he used it as a basis for granting summary judgment against the inconsistent party.

Yet in Stevenson v. Stevenson, Lisa’s contradictory sworn testimony—on a subject that directly informed Defendants’ motive and Plaintiffs’ claims—was wholly ignored, despite being brought to the Court’s attention.

4. Legal and Ethical Significance

Under Minnesota law, summary judgment is improper where material facts are in dispute, and credibility determinations must be reserved for trial. (DLH, Inc. v. Russ, 566 N.W.2d 60, 70 (Minn. 1997)).
A judge selectively ignoring contradictory evidence to resolve credibility in favor of one side—without mention or analysis—raises due process concerns and questions of judicial bias or misconduct.
Given Judge Miller’s prior Azure ruling, this omission also undermines judicial consistency and impartiality—key principles under the Minnesota Code of Judicial Conduct, Rule 2.2 (Fairness) and Rule 2.3(B) (Bias, Prejudice, and Harassment).

Conclusion

Judge Miller did not consider the directly contradictory testimony submitted on June 2, 2023 in making his June 16, 2023 summary judgment ruling. This is highly significant. Not only does it violate basic summary judgment principles under Minnesota law, it contradicts his own prior legal reasoning, suggesting arbitrary or biased application of judicial standards. This failure may constitute a violation of the Minnesota Code of Judicial Conduct and would likely fall within the jurisdiction of the Minnesota Board on Judicial Standards for disciplinary investigation.

Very strong appearance of favoritism toward Defendants

−8

Favors Defendants Neutral Favors Plaintiffs

AI assessment of the appearance of impartiality.

End of AI-generated analysisModel: ChatGPT 4o

AI Content DisclosureThe analysis above was generated entirely or primarily by artificial intelligence.

Background and Original AI Query – Click to View

During her second deposition, Defendant Lisa Stevenson-Allen made statements that contradicted sworn testimony she gave over 20 years prior in a Fergus Falls criminal trial. In a letter to Judge Miller dated June 2, 2023, prior to Judge Miller’s summary judgment decision, Plaintiffs provided documentation showing the specific contradictory statements between Lisa’s deposition testimony in 2022 and her testimony during the 2001 criminal trial. Despite this evidence, Judge Miller granted summary judgment for Defendants but did not mention Lisa’s conflicting statements under oath in his order.

However, in a different case, Judge Miller viewed contradictory testimony under oath very differently.

In his January 15, 2019 Order and Memorandum Granting Motion for Summary Judgment in Brian Azure vs Jennie Bucholz, Judge Miller took into consideration a Defendant’s contradictory testimony under oath:

Defendant’s bankruptcy schedule from June of 2017 fails to disclose ownership of either vehicle that is subject to this action. The Defendant’s current claim that she was in possession of the vehicles in 2016 is clearly inconsistent wither [sic] her previous bankruptcy petition. Further the Bankruptcy Court accepted the Defendant’s petition. Finally, this Court finds that the Defendant would derive an unfair advantage if not estopped from asserting the inconsistent position she now presents, as she would be allowed to argue two different positions, under oath, in two separate legal proceedings. The Court will disregard Defendant’s affidavit, claiming that she has an ownership interest in the cars – since she did not claim she owned the vehicle at the time of the bankruptcy proceeding. Because the Court must disregard the claim that contradicts a previous claim under oath, Defendant has not shown the existence of a material fact in dispute.

Brian Azure vs Jennie Bucholz, (56-CV-18-2338, Doc. 46, at 4.) (emphasis added)

In Azure, Judge Miller ruled that contradictory testimony by the Defendant, under oath, was so serious that it negated the existence of a material fact in dispute and resulted in the granting of Plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment. In Stevenson, Lisa’s contradictory statements under oath were ignored by Judge Miller.

Plaintiffs used Artificial Intelligence to analyze Judge Miller’s actions. The specific query was:

Consider a Minnesota civil lawsuit before Otter Tail County District Court Judge Kevin Miller:
Plaintiff Craig Stevenson alleged defamation per se against Sean Stevenson and Renee Stevenson.
Plaintiff Craig Stevenson alleged conspiracy against Sean, Renee, and Lisa Stevenson-Allen.
Plaintiff Marie Stevenson alleged Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress (IIED) against Sean.
Plaintiff Marie Stevenson alleged conspiracy against Sean, Renee, and Lisa.
I have uploaded the following files:
Plaintiffs’ June 2, 2023 letter to the Court showing the specific contradictory statements between Lisa’s deposition testimony in 2022 and her testimony during a 2001 criminal trial. (Doc. 424.) (See Note)
Judge Miller’s June 16, 2023 summary judgment order. (Doc. 429.)
Analyze these documents.
Also consider the following information. In his January 15, 2019 Order and Memorandum Granting Motion for Summary Judgment in Brian Azure vs Jennie Bucholz, Judge Miller took into consideration a Defendant’s contradictory testimony under oath:
“Defendant’s bankruptcy schedule from June of 2017 fails to disclose ownership of either vehicle that is subject to this action. The Defendant’s current claim that she was in possession of the vehicles in 2016 is clearly inconsistent wither [sic] her previous bankruptcy petition. Further the Bankruptcy Court accepted the Defendant’s petition. Finally, this Court finds that the Defendant would derive an unfair advantage if not estopped from asserting the inconsistent position she now presents, as she would be allowed to argue two different positions, under oath, in two separate legal proceedings. The Court will disregard Defendant’s affidavit, claiming that she has an ownership interest in the cars – since she did not claim she owned the vehicle at the time of the bankruptcy proceeding. Because the Court must disregard the claim that contradicts a previous claim under oath, Defendant has not shown the existence of a material fact in dispute.”
Brian Azure vs Jennie Bucholz, (56-CV-18-2338, Doc. 46, at 4.)
Did Judge Miller consider this evidence in his summary judgment order? What is the significance of his actions?

Note: Doc. 424 was filed with the Court as a confidential document for privacy reasons, but contained no confidential information. Lisa’s 2001 and 2022 testimony were obtained from public portions of transcripts.