He was the victim of many vexatious lawsuits

Persecution was a major part of Joseph Smith's life. He was the target of numerous pointless lawsuits. On Wednesday, August 17, during Campus Education Week at BYU, Gordon A. Madsen, a retired lawyer, discussed some of those lawsuits. Apparently, 45 civil lawsuits were filed between March 1834 and November 1839, according to him.

One such legal encounter involved a written clause in a land purchase and transfer contract in Harmony, Pennsylvania. Brother Madsen claimed that Joseph paid $200 to buy a building from Isaac Hale, Emma's father. A businessman in Harmony named Mr. Noble gave Joseph credit. In small towns, Brother Madsen observed that business owners frequently behaved like bankers. The claim that Joseph did not settle his debt was contested. Joseph later sold the land for $300 after the judge declared it to be satisfied.

“This one of the very few instances where Joseph made some money,” Brother Madsen said.

In Ohio, additional lawsuits involving Joseph Smith persisted. One of them, according to Brother Madsen, involved Philastaus Hurlbut, a former member of the Church who was accused of endangering Joseph Smith's life. After a trial, Mr. Hurlbut was adjudged guilty. In addition to paying a peace bond, the court commanded him "to keep the peace and specifically to leave Joseph Smith unmolested." There was a court fee of $112.50 in addition to the $200 bond. The bondsmen were anxious after Mr. Hurlbut left town because they would be responsible for the cost. When the sheriff attempted to collect the court fees, a notice saying "No property found" was returned.