Christopher M Brainard Attorney Used Legal Process to Harass and Intimidate Bel Air CA

I am a self-represented litigant who was targeted by attorney Christopher M. Brainard in what I believe was a campaign of harassment through excessive legal filings and abuse of court process.

Mr. Brainard filed multiple sanctions motions against me totaling over $35,000—including duplicative motions for the same issue, each with different hearing dates, designed to confuse and overwhelm me. He served documents by email even after I formally withdrew consent to electronic service under California law (Judicial Council Form EFS-006), which violated service rules and left me unaware of court deadlines.

He also emailed me a 261-page sanctions motion claiming I owed $29,500 in connection with a restraining order case. However, after checking court records, I discovered this document was never actually filed with the court. It appears it was sent only to scare me into compliance or to settle under pressure.

Additionally, Mr. Brainard filed two civil harassment restraining orders with highly questionable claims. One lacked a valid case number and was never served. The other was sent by email without court approval, again in violation of California procedure. These actions seemed timed to silence me after I submitted evidence to the court challenging the legitimacy of his filings and notices.

He even contacted my mortgage company and lienholder using court filings I believe were materially misleading, causing interference with my property and escrow.

This experience has caused me severe stress, disrupted my finances, and made me feel that the legal system was being weaponized against me. In my opinion, these actions were designed not to seek justice but to intimidate, confuse, and financially exhaust me.

I am sharing this to warn other, especially self-represented individuals, that this attorney’s approach to litigation can be extremely aggressive, and in my case, felt retaliatory and unethical.