What If You Start Calling Yourself Jane Smith, and Sue as Jane Smith, Instead of Asking to Sue Under a Pseudonym?
The article discusses the legal implications of suing under a name that is not one's official name. It highlights a recent court case where a plaintiff was allowed to proceed under the name 'Jane Smith' despite previously using a pseudonym. The court's decision reflects the complexities surrounding name changes and pseudonymous litigation in the legal system.
- ▪Suing under a pseudonym can protect plaintiffs from potential retaliation.
- ▪A recent court ruling allowed a plaintiff to proceed under the name 'Jane Smith' without a formal name change.
- ▪The court emphasized that all trial documents must reflect the plaintiff's real name.
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| Original publisher | Reason.com |
| Canonical URL | https://reason.com/volokh/2026/06/01/what-if-you-start-calling-yourself-jane-smith-and-sue-as-jane-smith-instead-of-asking-to-sue-under-a-pseudonym/ |
| Publication time | Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:32:40 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-06-01T12:42:42.264Z |
| Last seen | 2026-06-01T12:49:09.356Z |
| Headline source | Publisher (no WeSearch rewrite) |
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| Retrieval / RAG | May the content be exposed for third-party retrieval-augmented generation? | Not asserted |
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| Commercial reuse | May the content be reused commercially? | Not permitted |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Free Speech What If You Start Calling Yourself Jane Smith, and Sue as Jane Smith, Instead of Asking to Sue Under a Pseudonym? Eugene Volokh | 6.1.2026 8:32 AM Suing under a pseudonym can often be quite valuable to a plaintiff; for instance, someone suing over alleged mistreatment by an employer may worry about becoming known as a litigious employee, and might therefore prefer to sue as a Jane Doe. But there's a strong presumption in our legal system against such pseudonymous litigation, and worry about professional or economic retaliation generally isn't enough to rebut that presumption.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Reason.com.
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