POWER MUST ANSWER.
Case file
The March decision's footnote 6 assumes a 15% starting share for a $208 daily payment. That implies daily receipts of approximately $1,387. The payment reaches 49% at approximately $424 in receipts, a decline of about 69%. This is an illustration in the court's analysis of pleaded allegations. It is not an independent audit of the restaurant's actual daily bank deposits. See YEL-05, printed pages 13 and 14.
Federal complaint filed; Chopra issues separate statement | YEL-06; YEL-09
FTC announces proposed stipulated settlement | YEL-07
Alleged asset transfer and continuation of business discussed in the later successor-liability ruling | YEL-05, printed pages 27 and 28
Merchant affidavits filed in the New York proceeding | YEL-10; YEL-11
New York consent orders entered | YEL-01; YEL-02
New York publicly announces settlement | YEL-03
Remaining respondents' dismissal motions denied | YEL-05
FTC announces third refund distribution | YEL-08
| ID | Source | Role and limit |
|---|---|---|
| YEL-01 | New York companies' consent order | Binding negotiated obligations, debt cancellation, judgment accounting, court and lien procedures, industry restrictions. No admission of liability or wrongdoing. |
| YEL-02 | New York officers' consent order | Cash obligation, restrictions and cooperation; Stern's conditional enforcement exposure. Conditional amounts are not money established as collected. |
| YEL-03 | January 22, 2025 announcement | Contemporaneous agency statement, including cash receipt. Separate from a distribution ledger. |
| YEL-04 | New York FAQ, updated April 16, 2026 | Agency-reported implementation and linked county orders. Individual accounts and county files have not been audited. |
| YEL-05 | March 4, 2026 decision, document 712 | Dismissal denied and remaining respondents directed to answer. Nonfinal ruling. Printed page numbers exclude the PDF's extra cover page. |
| YEL-06 | FTC complaint, August 3, 2020 | Alleged marketing misrepresentations, fees and excess withdrawals, including customer and internal exchanges. Allegations in a subsequently settled case. |
| YEL-07 | FTC settlement announcement, April 2021 | Agency account of monetary and conduct terms. The linked order itself was not successfully retrieved for independent inspection. |
| YEL-08 | FTC refund update, June 2026 | Agency's account of three refund rounds. Federal program must be distinguished from the New York settlement. |
| YEL-09 | Commissioner Chopra's August 3, 2020 statement | Contemporaneous concerns and proposed enforcement priorities. A commissioner's statement, not a judicial finding. |
| YEL-10 | Bush affidavit, NYSCEF document 32, exhibit 28 | Sworn merchant account. Selected paragraphs inspected; corresponding transaction exhibits were not independently audited. |
| YEL-11 | Israel affidavit, NYSCEF document 34, exhibit 30 | Sworn merchant account. Selected paragraphs inspected; payment totals and supporting bank statements not independently audited. |
| YEL-12 | Reuters, January 22, 2025 | Narrowly used for Yellowstone counsel's contemporaneous response. No new response to Unchecked was obtained. |
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| Figure | What it represents | Source |
|---|---|---|
| $9,837,000 | Federal settlement surrender requirement | YEL-07 |
| $534,552,724 | Canceled debt credited in the original New York judgment calculation | YEL-01, paragraphs 8 and 21 |
| $16,100,000 | Combined New York company and officer cash component | YEL-01, paragraph 18; YEL-02, paragraph 8 |
| $514,347,276 | Unsatisfied New York judgment balance stated after the original credits | YEL-01, paragraph 22 |
| $1,065,000,000 | Total New York companies' judgment | YEL-01, paragraph 19 |
| $30,000,000, less specified prior cash payments | Conditional judgment against Stern under the officers' enforcement provision | YEL-02, paragraph 9 |
The three New York judgment components reconcile exactly. The federal payment obligation and Stern's conditional exposure must not be added to that calculation as though they were additional distributions under the same program. Current collection balances require later records.
Businesses complained that the withdrawals kept coming after their financing was paid off. Years of enforcement followed. Inside the contracts, the collection system and the long process of getting relief to the people who paid.
The full New York docket after March 4, 2026; the current unsatisfied judgment balance; final distribution accounting; individual merchant recoveries; complete judgment and lien compliance; and any later enforcement of the restrictions.
The official docket's opening list was accessible during this review, but later pagination did not yield a complete reliable document history. No inference about the absence of later rulings should be drawn from that access limitation. Official case docket