“Living Person” vs “Legal Person” and “Natural Person” Claims
Declaring yourself a "living man" or "natural person" does not exempt you from any law, court or tax.
The claim
What supporters point to
- Definitions of "person" in statutes and dictionaries
- Common-law and "natural law" concepts
What the law actually says
Statutes routinely define “person” to include both individuals and organizations. Including corporations in a definition does not exclude human beings — it adds to them. A person is subject to the laws of the jurisdiction where they live or act; there is no recognized procedure for declaring oneself outside the law.
How courts have ruled
The Seventh Circuit rejected sovereign-citizen jurisdictional arguments, holding that a person who claims to be a "sovereign citizen," "secured-party creditor," or "flesh-and-blood human being" is not beyond the jurisdiction of the courts — including a defendant who argued he was not the person indicted because his name was not written in capital letters. These theories should be rejected summarily, however they are presented.
The court denied motions to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction that relied on UCC arguments, the capitalization of the defendants' names, and the claim that the defendants had not consented to jurisdiction. These arguments are patently without merit.
The real doctrine behind the vocabulary
“Natural person” is a real legal term — it distinguishes a human being from an artificial entity such as a corporation. Some laws apply only to natural persons (for example, many consumer-protection statutes). That distinction never removes a human being from the reach of the law.
What happens to people who rely on it
Courts treat these arguments as frivolous. Relying on them has led to dismissed cases, lost homes and property, monetary sanctions, orders restricting future filings, and — where false liens or fraudulent financial documents were involved — criminal prosecution. Federal law makes it a crime to file, or attempt to file, in any public record or private record generally available to the public, a false lien or encumbrance against the real or personal property of a federal officer or employee, on account of the performance of official duties, knowing or having reason to know it is false — punishable by up to 10 years in prison (18 U.S.C. § 1521).
The real truth: Declaring yourself a "living man" or "natural person" does not exempt you from any law, court or tax.
How to check the living person claim yourself
The best test of living person is simple: look for a court that accepted it. The reported decisions cited above reject it. Next, read the actual law the claim points to. For example, check the statute, the UCC section or the constitutional text it cites. Then compare that text with what the claim says it means. For a real problem with a debt, a court case or a tax bill, a licensed attorney can explain your actual options. Our directory is a good place to start.
Sources and further reading
Official sources used on this page:
Related reading on Lawtopolis:
Sources
- United States v. Benabe, 654 F.3d 753 (7th Cir. 2011)
- United States v. Mitchell, 405 F. Supp. 2d 602 (D. Md. 2005)
Sources last reviewed: 2026-10-23
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