With director absent, Kansas trans nonprofit ordered to pay back $11,700 in donations
In a courtroom high above Olathe, everyone waited for Justin Brace.
A Johnson County District Court Judge, two assistant Kansas attorneys general, a witness, a transcription interpreter and other observers had gathered Monday afternoon for the hearing centering on the executive director of the now-dissolved Overland Park nonprofit Trans Heartland.
Brace faced a civil lawsuit filed by the Kansas Attorney General’s Office, headed by Kris Kobach, alleging Brace took at least $11,700 in donations and failed to register with the Attorney General’s Office.
But Brace did not arrive — not at 2:37 p.m., when everyone rose to greet the judge, nor approximately a half an hour later when the court adjourned.
“The court generally frowns on litigating matters on default judgement” without the defense present, said Judge Christopher Jayram.
But in this case he did. Jayram ordered Brace to pay more than $13,000. This included $11,762.27 in damages, $2,000 in investigative fees and an undisclosed amount to cover court costs.
The damages will be given to a nonprofit with a similar mission, in accordance with state law, Jayram said. The Attorney General’s Office will submit three possible organizations by Friday, from which the judge will choose.
The court declined to comment on the timeline for paying the money and an exact dollar amount for court costs.
In addition, Brace will be barred from participating in Kansas charitable organizations in the future.
While Nathaniel Castillo, assistant attorney general, wanted Brace to also pay up to $500,000 in civil penalties, Jayram said that Brace would not be required to pay them.
The lawyers with the Attorney General’s Office declined to comment on the whereabouts of Brace.
Jayram indicated that his staff had heard from Brace through “informal and inappropriate emails” between Brace, the Disability Rights Center of Kansas and the judge’s administrator.
Brace had made a request for a disability accommodation by email, which was why the hearing was moved from a July virtual hearing to an August in-person one, Jayram said. A real-time caption interpreter was present to accommodate Brace.
Brace has been largely silent since the lawsuit was filed in April over his nonprofit’s actions. Before publishing an Aug. 4 investigation, The Star attempted multiple times to reach Brace through various platforms. After contacting two of Brace’s former lawyers and one former associate, The Star was unable to locate a current lawyer for him.
The Star reached out to Brace through three phone numbers, three addresses and a fundraiser page, giving him more than a week to respond.
Ten people affected by Trans Heartland told The Star that Brace launched barrages of hateful messages, ran unlicensed camp for trans teens and deceived supporters who gave money to fundraisers he set up.
One Olathe parent said they trusted Justin Brace enough to give him more than $1,300. But when she spoke to a member of another LGBTQ group in front of Brace, he blew up, saying he believed the parents were harming their trans kids.
A trans teen described his experiences at Trans Heartland’s Camp Luna, a weekend camp for young transgender individuals. He said the food wasn’t refrigerated and counselors left at night. The teen called the camp “dystopian.”
