Roger A. Reynolds and Mary A. Reynolds v. Michael Carr and SUBLIME FORGE, L.C.

Let’s cut straight to the drama: a local business owner is being sued for over $121,000 after allegedly refusing to pay back a personal loan—while someone else connected to the deal has already coughed up $44,100 and counting. And not just any loan: this one comes with a clause that would give the lenders 10% of the net profits of the business, like some kind of high-stakes reality TV investment pitch gone rogue. Welcome to the District Court of McClain County, Oklahoma, where personal loans go to get messy, family ties get tested, and business dreams come with a side of legal paperwork.

Meet the Reynolds: Roger and Mary A. Reynolds, a married couple who apparently decided one fine day in March 2021 that what the world needed was more risk in their lives—specifically, loaning a significant chunk of cash to Michael Carr and someone named James Reynolds (yes, same last name, hold that thought). The defendant, Michael Carr, isn’t just a guy with a questionable repayment history—he’s also the owner or operator of Sublime Forge, L.C., a business based out of a building at 21789 Bryant Ave in Purcell, Oklahoma. That address? It’s not just an office space—it’s collateral. Because when you loan someone money and want to make sure they don’t ghost you, you don’t just ask for a handshake. You ask for a mortgage on their buildings and equipment. And that’s exactly what the Reynolds did.

Now, about that James Reynolds. We don’t know his exact relationship to Roger and Mary—brother? cousin? long-lost nephew who showed up at Thanksgiving with a PowerPoint about blacksmithing?—but here’s the twist: he’s been making payments. Over $44,000 worth. Which raises the million-dollar question (well, $121,460-and-change, technically): why is Michael Carr the only one dodging payments like he’s playing legal Whac-A-Mole? According to the petition, the loan agreement was signed by all parties on March 19, 2021. It wasn’t a handshake deal scribbled on a napkin at the Purcell Diner. No, this was formalized, documented, and—crucially—came with strings attached. Big ones.

The terms? $121,460 owed, accruing 6% annual interest since day one. Late fees of $25 per missed installment. And then… the pièce de résistance: 10% of the net profits of Sublime Forge or Prime Forge (because apparently there are two forge-named entities floating around this case, like we’re in a heavy metal band lawsuit). That last bit is wild—it’s not just a loan, it’s a partial ownership stake in the business’s future success, minus the voting rights or the cool leather apron. The Reynolds weren’t just lenders; they were silent partners with teeth.

But here’s where things go sideways. While James Reynolds has been chipping in like a responsible adult with a functioning sense of guilt (or possibly family pressure), Michael Carr has apparently decided that “payment” is more of a suggestion than a requirement. No payments from him. Zero. Zilch. Meanwhile, the business—Sublime Forge, L.C.—keeps operating. The forges keep forging. The profits (if any) keep… well, we don’t know where they’re going, but the Reynolds want their cut. And their principal. And their interest. And their late fees. And their attorney fees. And their court costs. And, oh yeah, the right to foreclose on the building and everything inside it if Carr keeps playing hardball.

Which brings us to why we’re in court. The Reynolds aren’t just mad—they’re legally mobilized. Their petition is a full-court press: they want a judgment against Michael Carr for the full $121,460, plus interest dating back to 2021, plus those $25 late fees stacking up like unpaid parking tickets, plus that 10% profit kicker, plus attorney fees (because lawyers don’t work for exposure, even in forge-related feuds), and—this is the big one—they want the court to allow them to foreclose on the property securing the loan. That means if Carr doesn’t pay up, the Reynolds could legally seize the building and its contents at 21789 Bryant Ave. Imagine showing up to work one day and finding a court officer standing in your workshop, holding a clipboard and a copy of the Oklahoma Statutes. “Sorry, Mike. The anvil’s coming with us.”

Now, is $121,460 a lot of money? In McClain County, yes—yes, it is. The median household income is around $60,000. This isn’t a “missed car payment” kind of debt. This is a “could buy a small commercial property” kind of number. And yet, it’s not so absurdly large that it sounds like a typo. It’s just big enough to hurt, small enough to be personal. This isn’t a bank suing a corporation. This is one set of people suing another, likely with history, possibly with family ties, definitely with grudges. And that’s what makes it juicy.

The Reynolds are represented by not one, but two attorneys—Jack S. Dawson and Chad T. Hantak—because when you’re chasing $121k and a forge, you don’t cut corners. Meanwhile, Michael Carr and Sublime Forge, L.C. are currently flying solo, at least according to the filing. No lawyer listed. Which either means he’s planning to go full pro se warrior in court, or he’s in over his head, or he just really believes in the power of a well-delivered “But that’s not what I meant when I signed it.”

So what’s our take? The most absurd part isn’t the loan. It’s not even the 10% profit clause, which feels like something out of a Shark Tank fever dream. No, the real head-scratcher is the split behavior between James Reynolds and Michael Carr. One is paying. One isn’t. Same loan. Same agreement. Same last name (on one side, anyway). Did they have a falling out? Was there a forged signature? Did someone forget to read the fine print about “joint and several liability”? Or is this just one of those situations where one person believes in honor, and the other believes in “let the business absorb it”?

We’re rooting for clarity. For someone to stand up in court and explain—without legalese—what actually happened. Was this a family-backed business loan gone sour? A partnership that cracked under pressure? Or just one guy who thought he could borrow money from relatives and treat it like a gift? Because in the end, this isn’t just about money. It’s about trust, accountability, and the fact that when you sign a loan agreement, you’re supposed to pay it back. Even if your business has a name that sounds like a heavy metal album. Especially then.

Until then, the forges may still be hot, but the legal fire’s just getting started.