A guide, with live counts from the courts' own feeds
Your marketplace account was frozen by a Schedule A lawsuit: what happens now
A brand that finds its trademarks or designs on hundreds of online storefronts can sue all of them in one federal case, captioned against “the Partnerships and Unincorporated Associations Identified on Schedule A” rather than by name. The schedule is filed under seal, the court is asked for a restraining order before any seller is told, and the first a seller hears of it is usually a marketplace notice that the listing is down and the account balance is held. This page explains what that case is, what the papers you eventually receive will ask for, and what the docket will do next.
75 new suits against sellers identified only on a sealed Schedule A filed in federal court between September 21, 2026 and September 25, 2026, across 6 districts, counted from the district courts' own filing feeds.
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How the case runs
What the brand is claiming
Most of these suits allege trademark counterfeiting and infringement under the Lanham Act (15 U.S.C. § 1114(1)) and false designation of origin (15 U.S.C. § 1125(a)); some add or substitute copyright infringement (17 U.S.C. § 501) or design patent infringement (35 U.S.C. § 271). For a counterfeit mark the plaintiff may elect statutory damages of $1,000 to $200,000 per mark per type of goods, and up to $2,000,000 per mark if the counterfeiting was wilful (15 U.S.C. § 1117(c)); for copyright the range is $750 to $30,000 per work, up to $150,000 if wilful (17 U.S.C. § 504(c)). The plaintiff may instead seek the seller’s profits and its own damages (15 U.S.C. § 1117(a)).
Why the account was frozen before you were served
The complaint is filed with the schedule of sellers under seal, together with a motion for a temporary restraining order without notice (Rule 65(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure). The order normally bars further sales, directs marketplaces and payment processors to restrain the seller’s accounts pending the case, and allows service by email or through the marketplace (Rule 4(f)(3)). A restraining order entered without notice expires after 14 days unless the court extends it for good cause or the seller consents (Rule 65(b)(2)), and the plaintiff must then move for a preliminary injunction (Rule 65(a)). A seller who has been restrained may move to dissolve or modify the order on two days’ notice, and the court must hear that motion as promptly as justice requires (Rule 65(b)(4)).
What you must do once served, and by when
Service by email under the court’s order starts the clock: an answer or motion to dismiss is due 21 days after service (Rule 12(a)(1)(A)(i)). A seller who does nothing is usually the subject of a motion for default and default judgment (Rule 55), which in these cases asks for statutory damages, a permanent injunction, and an order transferring the restrained balance to the plaintiff. Sellers outside the United States often contest personal jurisdiction (Rule 12(b)(2)), the amount of the restraint, or the claim that the goods were counterfeit at all. Many sellers settle for a payment out of the frozen balance in exchange for dismissal and release of the rest.
How the case ends for each seller
The docket moves seller by seller: a stipulated dismissal for those who settle, a default judgment for those who never appear, and an order on the merits for those who fight. The restrained funds are released only by a court order or a plaintiff’s written release to the marketplace, so the entry that matters most to a seller is the one that names their storefront in a dismissal, a judgment, or a modified injunction. Many of these cases run for months after the first order because the plaintiff works through hundreds of sellers at different speeds.
Know the day your docket moves
A Schedule A case has hundreds of defendants and one docket, and the entries that decide whether your balance comes back, a preliminary injunction, an extension of the restraint, a default motion, a dismissal that names your storefront, arrive without any notice beyond the docket itself. CaseMagic Watch reads the docket every day and emails you when a new entry lands, with the deadline that follows from it, so you know the day the order is entered rather than the week the marketplace gets round to telling you.
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Where they were filed
| District | New cases |
|---|---|
| N.D. Ill. | 54 |
| W.D. Pa. | 14 |
| S.D.N.Y. | 3 |
| S.D. Fla. | 2 |
| N.D. Ind. | 1 |
| W.D. Tex. | 1 |
A case is counted once, on the date its opening filing was made, when the defendant the court typed into the caption is one this kind of case is brought against. Districts that publish no filing feed are not counted. No names are listed here on purpose.
Questions people ask before they start
How do I find out whether I am on the schedule?
The schedule is sealed when the case is filed, so the public docket shows only the case number and the plaintiff. The marketplace notice that froze your account usually quotes the case number and the court; with that number, the free case check on this site reads the docket, and once the plaintiff serves you the papers will include the schedule entry for your storefront.
Can I get the frozen money back?
Only by an order of the court or a release from the plaintiff. A seller can move to dissolve or modify the restraint (Rule 65(b)(4)), argue that the amount restrained exceeds any plausible recovery, or settle. Doing nothing leads to a default judgment that transfers the balance to the plaintiff.
I am outside the United States. Does this court have power over me?
That is contested in many of these cases. Courts have found jurisdiction where a seller offered to ship the goods into the district and did so, and have declined it where the connection was thinner. It is a defence that has to be raised, in a motion or an answer, or it is lost (Rule 12(h)(1)).
Should I contact the plaintiff’s lawyers?
That is a decision for you and, if you choose, a lawyer. Many sellers do, and many cases end in a settlement paid from the frozen balance. This page explains the procedure; it does not tell you what to do in your own case, and CaseMagic is not a law firm.
CaseMagic is an independent service, not a law firm, and nothing on this page is legal advice. The rules cited are the ones in force as this page was written; check your court's local rules and any order in your own case.
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