U.S. Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine) on Tuesday obtained a temporary restraining order against her ex-girlfriend, alleging in a dozens of pages of court filings that he had told her, her family, and colleagues about her He said he was bombarded with hundreds of messages. as “sustained abuse and harassment.”
Porter, 50, said in a filing in Orange County Superior Court that her ex-boyfriend, Julian Willis, 55, contacted her and her family too often and was threatening her “personal safety.” He claimed he had “grave fears” for his safety and mental well-being. ”
Judge Stephen T. Hicklin signed a restraining order Tuesday barring Willis from contacting Porter and her children until a court hearing in mid-December. It also prohibited Mr. Willis from speaking about Porter with current and former colleagues.
Porter said in court filings that Willis has been hospitalized twice on psychiatric involuntary holds since late 2022 and has a history of abusing prescription painkillers and other drugs. .
In a statement to the Times, she said Willis’ mental state and struggle with addiction appeared to have worsened since she asked him to leave her Irvine home in August. She said she sought the court order because his threats against her family and colleagues had “escalated in both frequency and intensity.”
“I really hope he gets the help he needs,” Porter said.
Mr. Willis declined to comment. He will have the opportunity to take legal action against the temporary restraining order and contest Mr Porter’s claims.
Porter plans to resign from the House in January after losing the California Senate primary in March. He is being discussed as a front-runner in California’s 2026 gubernatorial election after Gov. Gavin Newsom’s term ends, but he has not announced whether he will begin campaigning.
The 53-page court filing, first reported by Politico, includes 22 pages of emails, text messages and other communications between Porter, his family and colleagues who received messages from Willis. It also included messages sent to Porter’s lawyer and his girlfriend. Political leader Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
The filing also included messages between her and Willis’ brother in which they discussed helping Willis while he was in psychiatric custody and in a sobriety facility. .
Mr. Porter has sent Ms. Willis more than 1,000 text messages and emails since she ordered him to leave, including 82 times in 124 hours in September when she asked him to give her his phone number. He said he had texted her 55 times on November 12 before blocking her.
Ms Porter said in her filing that her ex-girlfriend had “already contacted at least three reporters” to spread false and harmful information about her and her children, adding that it “posed a significant risk”. ” he said. [her] Career and personal reputation. ”
The filing includes an email that Porter said Willis sent to his attorney late Monday, in which Willis visited Porter’s son, who was attending college in Iowa, and said he would “put a hammer down on Katie.” “I will ruin her and her life,” he said. A million pieces. ”
Another screenshot shows Willis telling Porter’s attorney that she plans to file a complaint with Child Protective Services about Porter, who has two children, ages 12 and 16.
One of Mr. Porter’s congressional staffers received a text message from Mr. Willis stating that he would be “punished” if he did not agree to “cooperate” with a New York Times reporter and Mr. Willis’s lawyer, the paper said. A screenshot has been revealed. Court documents.
Willis previously made headlines in 2021 when he was arrested after a fight broke out at Porter City Hall in a park in Irvine.
Times staff writer Christopher Goffard contributed to this report.
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