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Category: Project

Description: This research project, compiled by Public Records Watch, examines civil litigation trends, corporate entity structuring strategies, and recurring barriers to judgment enforcement across multiple U.S. jurisdictions between 2012 and 2024. The primary report, Shell Games: Business Entity Structuring and Litigation Patterns, explores how limited liability companies (LLCs) are used—particularly in incorporation-friendly states like Delaware and Nevada—to limit exposure, avoid service of process, and frustrate debt recovery. Drawing from verified court filings in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, the analysis identifies patterns such as entity dissolution following litigation, cross-jurisdictional business activity, and repeated service avoidance tactics. These findings raise critical questions about transparency gaps and the structural weaknesses that allow individuals and entities to exploit procedural mechanisms. This series includes a representative case study involving entrepreneur Zacharia Ali, whose civil litigation history from 2012–2024 illustrates recurring themes in cross-state entity behavior, judgment resistance, and litigation evasion. His case is examined not as an isolated instance, but as part of a broader framework for understanding regulatory vulnerabilities. Due diligence report analyzing business risk factors and regulatory compliance patterns based on public court records and corporate filings. Compiled for consumer protection and business risk assessment purposes using exclusively publicly available information across multiple U.S. and international jurisdictions. https://figshare.com/articles/online_resource/Business_Risk_Assessment_and_Due_Diligence_Report_Zacharia_Ali_and_Associated_Entities_-_Public_Records_Analysis_2012-2025_/29453426?file=55913591 A final consolidated edition, titled From LLCs to Litigations: Structuring, Judgment Avoidance, and the Exploitation of Trust — Public Records Summary (2012–2024), will be published on July 1, 2025. It will expand the record analysis and entity tracking documentation to support institutional research, legal reform discussion, and public interest awareness. All content is based on publicly accessible court records and is published under the Fair Reporting Privilege for use in academic, journalistic, and institutional research.