CONWAY — A man who sued South Carolina for $132 million has already had his case dismissed, but he’s not giving up.

Thomas Humphrey, 37, accused the state of violating his rights when he was charged in 2023 with several traffic-related offenses in Myrtle Beach, including failure to wear a seatbelt or display a license plate.

But there was a hiccup with his plan: Humphrey couldn’t afford to file his complaint.

Now he’s appealing after a judge dismissed his case.

Sovereign citizens

Humphrey sees himself as a man without a nation.

He’s a sovereign citizen, part of a loosely organized anti-government group who believe that they are separate, or “sovereign,” from the United States, and don’t have to answer to law enforcement or any government authority, according to the FBI.

Dating back to the Civil War, the ideology solidified in the early 1970s with the teachings of William Potter Gale, who focused on three main pillars:

There is an estimated few hundred thousand people in America who identify as sovereign citizens.

“Although the ideology itself is not illegal, sovereign citizen violent extremists express their anti-government or anti-authority violent extremist beliefs through the use or threat of force or violence, while sovereign citizen criminals use these beliefs to justify non-violent activities, such as fraud and theft,” its guidance says.

‘Unplug from the system’

The night of his arrest, Humphrey was stopped along South Kings Highway just before 8:30 p.m. June 24, 2023. He had found himself in Myrtle Beach years after his high-profile arrest in St. Paul, Minn., on charges of theft and disorderly conduct after recording himself stealing a COVID-19 vaccine from a clinic.

Humphrey believes that what followed the arrest should cost South Carolina $132,257,933 — payable in gold or silver coin.

In addition to his complaint, Humphrey has emailed state Comptroller Brian Gaines and every member of the Statehouse with a detailed bill outlining damages against him, which includes $9.6 million for “unwarranted detainment” at the scene, $80 million for his legal research and $5 million in compensation for a jailhouse strip search.

The self-described “foreign diplomat of God” could not be reached for comment. But he told The Post and Courier last month he wants to protect himself from government-created restrictions that he says violate his rights.

Also, he acknowledged how his litigation against South Carolina is as much about laying out a blueprint for the future of sovereign citizens as finding compensation for perceived wrongs against him.

“People have just laid down and accepted this form of slavery and really what I’m doing is exposing it and I’m no longer going to tolerate it,” he previously said. “Anyone who becomes aware of this form of slavery and desires to unplug from the system, I’m going to stand up for their rights.”

‘I am in debt’

But Humphrey is out of money. He’s made it clear in court records:

Humphrey requested an “in forma pauperis” suit, which would have waived the mandatory $150 filing fee for his complaint.

Latin for “in the manner of the pauper,” this kind of suit allows a poor person to sue someone without incurring the costs of the suit. These are most commonly brought by jail and prison inmates. But proceeding in forma pauperis is not a right, and it is subject to the court’s discretion, according to Cornell Law School.

Humphrey argued that his chronic lack of finances shouldn’t matter when he believes his rights were violated.

But the court disagreed. Circuit Judge Alex Hyman denied Humphrey’s request on July 5 and ordered him to pay the filing fee for his complaint by July 15. And when that day came, Hyman ultimately denied his request and dismissed the complaint.

“Pursuant to this order, if the filing fees were not paid on or before July 15, 2026, this case would be dismissed,” Hyman’s order stated. “To date, the filing fees have not been paid, therefore, this case is dismissed.[sic]”

Humphrey’s appeal has had its own set of financial challenges, too. He said he could only file an appeal notice on Aug. 7 after asking others for help to get $20.

And like his original complaint, Humphrey hopes to avoid paying the required $150 appellate filing fee, according to court filings.