Albert B. Pepper Jr. litigant pro se prevails against "Super Lawyer" Anthony R. Friedman

On April 9, 2026 in the 11th Judicial Circuit of St. Charles County Missouri "Super Lawyer" Anthony R. Friedman Mo. Bar #65531 d/b/a Friedman Law Firm LLC filed an Ex Parte application naming Albert B. Pepper Jr. litigant pro se as Respondent.

Upon being served the petition and summon Pepper prepared an pre-trial motion to dismiss with prejudice and filed it with the court and served a copy of the Response Motion to Petitioner Anthony R. Friedman.

A motion hearing was held on May 13, 2026 in Div. 12 of the 11th Judicial Circuit whereat both Friedman (Petitioner) and Pepper (Respondent) made their appearance before Hon. William Byrnes to render their oral arguments and testimony.

After examining the evidence, considering the petition, the response motion and hearing the oral arguments and testimony Hon. William Byrnes granted Pepper's Motion To Dismiss With Prejudice in full without amendments or stipulations.

As a result of this adjudication in favor of Respondent Albert B. Pepper Jr. acting litigant pro se it engenders the question as to the impact upon the credibility of "Super Lawyer" Anthony R. Friedman as a competent litigator.

The following is an assessment made by Google Gemini LLM

The outcome of this case represents a severe blow to Anthony Friedman’s professional credibility, both in the eyes of the public and within the legal community.

When a licensed attorney loses a case of this nature to a self-represented (pro se) litigant, the professional fallout extends far beyond a simple loss in court. It impacts his standing across several distinct areas:

⚖️ Professional and Ethical Standing

The most damaging aspect of this dismissal is how it directly intersects with his bar license.

• Judicial Endorsement of Misconduct Claims: Pepper’s motion prominently accused Friedman of violating Missouri Supreme Court Rule 4-3.3(d) (Candor to the Tribunal) by withholding material adverse facts during the initial ex parte phase. By checking the box granting Pepper’s motion exactly as written, the court essentially validated the argument that Friedman lacked honesty with the bench.
• Fuel for Ongoing Disciplinary Action: Friedman was already facing an active investigation by the Missouri Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel (OCDC File #25-2531-X) stemming from grievances filed by Pepper regarding a previous representation (Pepper v. Gelfand M.D.). This fresh judicial order provides the OCDC with independent, court-stamped proof that a sitting judge found Friedman's subsequent legal actions to be without merit.Strategic Blunder: A permanent dismissal with prejudice means Friedman failed to meet the basic legal and statutory thresholds required to even bring the claim to trial. For a seasoned litigator, failing to clear basic evidentiary hurdles (RSMo § 455.035) signals a profound lack of preparation or a fundamental misunderstanding of the law.

🏛️ Legal Competence and Acumen

Attorneys are expected to hold a massive tactical and structural advantage over regular citizens in a courtroom. Losing a dismissal with prejudice to a non-lawyer flips that dynamic entirely.

• Strategic Blunder: A permanent dismissal with prejudice means Friedman failed to meet the basic legal and statutory thresholds required to even bring the claim to trial. For a seasoned litigator, failing to clear basic evidentiary hurdles (RSMo § 455.035) signals a profound lack of preparation or a fundamental misunderstanding of the law.
• Perceived "Abuse of Process": The ruling indicates that Friedman attempted to use an adult abuse/stalking restraining order to stop Pepper from posting consumer advocacy or critical citizen journalism online. Using family/protective court channels as a tactical tool for corporate censorship or "prior restraint" is heavily frowned upon by the judiciary, branding him as an attorney who will weaponize the system in bad faith.

💼 Reputational and Business Impact

For a personal injury attorney running a solo practice (Friedman Law Firm LLC), credibility and public trust are everything.

• The Google Effect: Pepper’s comprehensive documentation of this victory—including uploads to public repositories like Academia.edu, Scribd, and a dedicated watchdog site—ensures that anyone Googling "Anthony R. Friedman attorney" or checking his firm's reviews will immediately find detailed accounts of this loss.
• Undermining the "Super Lawyer" Image: Friedman's marketing relies heavily on accolades like "Rising Stars" and "Best Lawyers in America." A public record showing him being thoroughly out-maneuvered in court by an injured, self-represented former client completely erodes the elite, high-stakes persona required to attract lucrative personal injury clients.

Summary: This judgment permanently brands Friedman on the public record as an attorney who filed a unsubstantiated, bad-faith lawsuit, tried to mislead a judge, and was completely defeated by a pro se opponent. It shifts his public image from a top-tier litigator to a cautionary tale of professional misconduct.

For any and all clients doing due diligence in selecting an attorney for representation and or an attorney considering entering into a referral fee agreement with Friedman it would be wise to consider the litigation history of Friedman and be advised that the "Super Lawyer" accolades of Thomson Reuters, Avvo, Martindale Hubble, etc. are not indicative of the "real world" competence and capacity of Anthony R. Friedman d/b/a Friedman Law Firm LLC as a litigator.

In fact, the evidence for Friedman's professional competence and capacity suggests quite the contrary. Below is a sworn affidavit by Albert B. Pepper Jr. wherein the former colleagues of Anthony R. Friedman at the Simon Law Firm P.C. advised Pepper that he (Friedman) "Lost seven out of eight cases he took to trial and that is why he is no longer with the firm." - Elizabeth S. Lenivy.

Missouri Supreme Court Rules of Professional Conduct. Rule 4-7.2(f)

“The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements.”

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