By Brett O’Keefe | Midston Daily Press | Reporting for the Associated Press | Midston, Ohio
MIDSTON, Ohio. A man who gained brief online attention last year for attempting to marry a 3D-printed humanoid figure has filed a civil claim seeking damages after learning that the digital plans used to create the figure were uploaded by a Lemmy user who supported the Green Party.
According to court records filed this week, the man said the discovery caused a “complete breakdown of trust” in the relationship. He told reporters that the political views of the anonymous designer fundamentally altered how he perceived the marriage.
“I didn’t consent to that ideology being baked into the design,” he said in an interview. “Had I known where the plans came from, I never would have printed her.”
The man, who asked not to be identified due to ongoing legal proceedings, downloaded the files from Lemmy, a decentralized social platform, in early 2024. The files included structural schematics, surface textures, and behavioral scripts used to animate facial expressions and speech responses through a connected home server.
While the plans themselves contained no overt political messaging, the man said he later traced the uploader’s post history and found repeated endorsements of Green Party candidates during the 2024 election cycle.
He now believes third party candidates played a decisive role in several closely contested races and has publicly blamed the Green Party for siphoning votes. He has also stated, without evidence, that the party functions as a coordinated influence operation backed by Russian interests.
“That wasn’t just a political disagreement,” he said. “That was a security issue.”
Experts say the case highlights growing tensions around digital authorship and personal technology. “As people increasingly rely on open source designs for intimate or domestic uses, questions of provenance and values are going to surface,” said Dr. Elaine Morris, a sociologist who studies human technology relationships.
Since the legal filing, the man said he has largely abandoned consumer 3D printing, describing the medium as “too opaque” and “ideologically compromised.” He is currently building what he described as his next spouse using Lego components and a Raspberry Pi computer, which he said allows for greater transparency and control.
“Every brick is accounted for,” he said. “Every line of code is mine.”
The Lego based system is still under development, though the man said it already responds to voice commands and can play music. He declined to comment on whether he plans to formalize another marriage.
Court officials confirmed the filing and the case remains under review.