For 75 years, California has prosecuted and imprisoned people by procedures the Constitution and Penal Code do not authorize. The record-level evidence is available to anyone who goes to the courthouse and asks the clerk.
Without One Plea has been documenting false arrest/imprisonment since 2016.
Each case WOP takes on goes through a disciplined intake: verification of the charging instrument, verification of the lack of a judgment of conviction, review of the CDCR central file, and preparation of certified demand notices, estimate of damages and recording of commercial liens against the responsible public officials. WOP accepts only a limited number of cases.
This page is for private individuals who want to directly support, for profit, the civil accountability work. Participation is by introduction only. Terms are not disclosed publicly — they are discussed privately, in writing, with anyone who is financially qualified, requests an introduction and has a direct conversation with the organization.
Three reasons private individuals participate in this work:
Share your contact information and a brief description of your interest.
WOP reviews the inquiry for fit, seriousness, and alignment.
If there is a fit, we schedule a direct conversation to understand your interest and answer questions.
Materials Provided Under NDA. After the conversation, we share detailed execution materials under a signed non-disclosure agreement.
I started Without One Plea in 2016 because I could not unsee what the record shows. California's felony prosecutions have run on a procedural shortcut for 75 years, and the people paying for it are still paying for it — in prison cells, in broken families, in lives that were taken by a system that did not follow its own law.
The work we do at WOP is built on the State and Federal Constitutions, statute and binding case law. It is right, it is documented, and it holds up.
If you want to be part of the solution, I would like to talk to you directly.
— Lonnie G. Schmidt, Founder, Without One Plea
Please use the form below if you cannot find an answer to your question.
No. This is not a public offering, it is not registered as a security, and it is not advertised or solicited publicly. Any participation is by private arrangement only, by introduction, and documented in signed agreements.
Most litigation finance funds diversified portfolios of plaintiffs' cases for commercial return. Without One Plea's work is a targeted civil accountability process against specific California public officials for documented unlawful confinement, under a defined enforcement strategy. The structure, the target, and the evidence base are different from conventional litigation finance.
Yes. Every inquiry is reviewed. You will receive a direct response, whether or not there is a fit. We do not use auto-responders and we do not add anyone to a mailing list.
No. Without One Plea is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice to investors or clients. Any legal representation in connection with a participation arrangement should be obtained by you from your own counsel.
No. No outcome and no return is guaranteed. Any participation depends on actual recoveries, actual timelines, and the specific terms of your signed agreement. Past work does not guarantee future outcomes.
Services are currently available for those persons confined in California prisons only.
P.O. Box 2298, Lodi, California 95241
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