Lawyer resigns from lawsuit against Clearfield County district attorney

Truck driver filed civil rights petition for malicious prosecution

The lawyer for a long-haul trucker driver, who has filed a civil rights lawsuit against Clearfield County and District Attorney Ryan P. Sayers for malicious prosecution following a fight that occurred outside a Sandy Township plant nearly three years ago, has resigned from the case.

Philadelphia attorney Albert J. Mitchell has been representing the truck driver, Jovaughn Matthie, who was arrested in October 2023 and charged with assault of an employee at the Domtar Paper Plant.

Matthie spent nearly a year in the Clearfield County Jail awaiting trial because he couldn't post bail.

But, when the case came to trial in October 2024, Matthie, representing himself, argued he did not start the fight and the injuries inflicted on the company employee were the result of mutual combat.

The jury took only 40 minutes to find Matthie not guilty.

Matthie, in May 2025, filed a civil rights lawsuit against the township, Clearfield County, the District Attorney and the Sandy Township police officer who arrested him.

The case is now before U.S. District Judge Stephanie L. Haines, who presides in Johnstown.

Mitchell has represented Matthie during the pretrial stage of the case.

So far, the civil rights charges cited in the Matthie lawsuit against the arresting officer and Sandy Township have been dismissed, with Clearfield County and the DA as the remaining defendants.

Just more than a week ago, Mitchell filed a petition seeking to withdraw from the case, contending Matthie "verbally terminated him" from the case.

On July 20, he reported Matthie had been arrested in Orlando, Fla., where he was charged with attempted second-degree murder and resisting arrest without violence.

Matthie's present address is the Orange County Prison in Florida.

Mitchell in his petition stated that he informed Clearfield County's Altoona attorney in the case, Mary Lou Maierhofer, about Matthie's arrest.

On July 22, Haines granted Mitchell's request to withdraw from the Matthie case.

Fox News in Orlando reported that Matthie, 42, approached a rideshare driver on the morning of July 21 and sought a ride.

The driver, who had just dropped off a customer, initially agreed, but the news report stated the driver then refused to take Matthie when he wanted him to use a different route than the one depicted on the driver's GPS.

The driver was then stabbed on the right side.

Orlando police arrived and found the suspect, Matthie, in a nearby restaurant.

Haines, in her order, has extended all deadlines for 30 days involving Matthie's federal civil rights case and set an Aug. 21 deadline for Matthie to file a status update.