The evidence assembled in these proceedings is not the product of paranoia, delusion, or animus. It is the product of a documented record — court filings, agency correspondence, certified transcripts, official determinations, and recorded communications — assembled by a party who has been adjudicated competent by six separate tribunals and oversight bodies. The public record that has labeled Todd Wilson Short as delusional or paranoid is not supported by the evidence. The evidence supports the opposite conclusion.
Individuals living with mental disabilities are among the most frequently stigmatized and mischaracterized participants in the legal system. The Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. § 12132, and its foundational precedent in Tennessee v. Lane, 541 U.S. 509 (2004), recognize that the courthouse doors must remain open and accessible to all, including those with psychiatric diagnoses. A disability label is not a disqualification from truth-telling. Under the ADA’s “regarded as” prong, 42 U.S.C. § 12102(1)(C), it is unlawful to treat an individual adversely on the basis of a perceived impairment regardless of whether any impairment exists in fact.
The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and the Supreme Court’s holdings in Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. 644 (2015), and Bostock v. Clayton County, 590 U.S. 644 (2020), make clear that sexual orientation is a protected characteristic under federal law. To weaponize a person’s sexual orientation — to treat him with deliberate indifference, to deny him the protections and services afforded to others, to leverage his identity as grounds for retaliation or stigma — is not merely a moral failure. It is discrimination in the legal sense of that word. Farmer v. Brennan, 511 U.S. 825 (1994), and City of Canton v. Harris, 489 U.S. 378 (1989), establish the deliberate indifference standard applicable where a state actor knows of and disregards a substantial risk of harm to an individual in its custody or under its supervision.
Finally, where a federal complaint has been dismissed on procedural grounds under Fed. R. Civ. P. 4(m) — failure to timely serve — that dismissal carries no merits determination whatsoever. A Rule 4(m) dismissal speaks to process, not substance. It does not adjudicate, credit, or discredit a single factual allegation. The claims remain, and the record supporting them remains, entirely intact. That record is presented here.
Evidence Records
Evidence Index
Public records, court filings, and official correspondence organized by proceeding. Select a matter below to view its evidence record.
1. Public Record. All court filings, agency correspondence, and official records reproduced herein are public records within the meaning of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 132-1 et seq., or are federal court records subject to the common law right of public access established under Nixon v. Warner Communications, Inc., 435 U.S. 589 (1978), and accessible through the public dockets of the respective tribunals.
2. Party Disclosure. Todd Wilson Short is a named party, claimant, or complainant in each proceeding referenced herein. A party possesses the inherent right to disclose documents, communications, and records pertaining to his own claims, defenses, and legal interests. Nothing published herein is disclosed in violation of any protective order or sealing order entered by any court or tribunal.
3. Accuracy — Personal Knowledge and Information and Belief. All factual statements on this site are made by Todd Wilson Short either: (a) upon personal knowledge, meaning Mr. Short has direct firsthand knowledge of the facts stated; or (b) upon information and belief, meaning Mr. Short believes the stated facts to be true and correct based on information reasonably available to him, and presents them as such, subject to the ongoing development of the factual record in the referenced proceedings.
4. Medical and Mental Health Records. Certain documents published herein may constitute medical records, mental health records, or protected health information (“PHI”) ordinarily entitled to confidentiality or privacy protection under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”), 45 C.F.R. §§ 164.508 and 164.512(e), and the North Carolina Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Act, N.C. Gen. Stat. § 122C-52 et seq. Todd Wilson Short, as the patient and subject of any such records, expressly and voluntarily waives any right to confidentiality or privilege as to his own medical and mental health information disclosed herein, pursuant to his authority to do so under 45 C.F.R. § 164.508 and N.C. Gen. Stat. § 122C-53(a), in the public interest and for the purpose of full transparency in these proceedings.
5. Redactions. Any redaction appearing in any document or record published herein has been made either: (a) as required by applicable law or court rule, including but not limited to the personal identifier redaction requirements of Fed. R. Civ. P. 5.2 (Social Security numbers, taxpayer identification numbers, dates of birth, names of minor children, and financial account numbers); or (b) to protect the identity or confidential information of a third party who retains an independent right to confidentiality or privilege that has not been waived by that party. No redaction is made for the purpose of concealing information material to Mr. Short’s claims or to mislead any reader of this record.
6. Audio Recordings — One-Party Consent; Availability to Authorized Parties. Certain records referenced herein include audio recordings of telephone calls and in-person conversations. All such recordings were made by Todd Wilson Short, who was a party to each recorded communication and who consented to the recording thereof. These recordings were lawfully made pursuant to the North Carolina Electronic Surveillance Act, N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-287, which permits any party to a wire, oral, or electronic communication to record that communication without the knowledge or consent of any other party. No recording reproduced or referenced herein was obtained by means of interception by a person not a party to the communication.
With respect to communications involving state government officials acting in their official capacities, it is well-established under the First and Fourteenth Amendments that such individuals possess a substantially reduced expectation of privacy in the exercise of their official duties. Glik v. Cunniffe, 655 F.3d 78 (1st Cir. 2011); Fields v. City of Philadelphia, 862 F.3d 353 (3d Cir. 2017); Turner v. Driver, 848 F.3d 678 (5th Cir. 2017). The recording of a public official in the discharge of official functions does not implicate the core privacy interests that the wiretapping statutes were designed to protect.
Raw audio files (MP3 format) of all referenced recordings are preserved and are available upon formal written request to courts of competent jurisdiction, federal and state law enforcement agencies, licensed attorneys of record in the referenced proceedings, and duly authorized governmental oversight bodies. Raw audio will not be distributed to the general public. This restriction is maintained not to conceal the content of any recording — which is accurately reflected in the transcripts and summaries provided herein — but to prevent the misappropriation of voice data for purposes of artificial voice synthesis and cloning, which presents a recognized and increasing risk to the integrity of the evidentiary record and to the personal security of the individuals whose voices appear therein. To submit a formal request for audio materials, see the contact information below.
Active Proceedings — 7 Matters