By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-27 20:01:29 | Updated at 2024-11-27 22:44:55
2 hours ago
Outgoing Congresswoman Katie Porter obtained a temporary restraining order against her ex-boyfriend after accusing him in court of abuse and harassment that she said caused her to fear for her safety and well-being.
The California Democrat petitioned for a domestic violence restraining order on Tuesday with the Orange Country Superior Court, court records show.
Porter alleged her romantic partner of several years sent her, her family and her staff more than a thousand text messages and emails over three months, according to the filing reviewed by Politico.
Judge Michael Perez approved the order Tuesday afternoon ordering Willis to make no contact and stay away from the congresswoman and her children until another hearing in mid-December.
He also ordered Willis not contact her current and former employees or her co-workers about her, but he denied requests for restraining orders for adults she does not live with including her mother, according to the documents reviewed by Politico.
A judge granted a temporary restraining order against Congresswoman Katie Porter's ex-boyfriend after she filed a petition accusing him of abuse and harassment
Including in the case filing were details about threats against Porter, 50, to call Child Protective Services to remove her children from her custody.
It also detailed attempts to extort Porter for thousands of dollars and make 'defamatory' false allegations like her having genital herpes. She submitted test results to the court to prove she did not have the sexually transmitted disease, Politico said.
In her request, Porter said that Willis, 55, is dealing with substance abuse and has mental health issues, which led to him being involuntarily committed twice since 2022.
According to Porter, he had taken steps to address the issues such as attending Narcotics Anonymous meetings and staying in a sober living house, but she claimed to have witnessed his continued substance abuse.
She wrote she had seen him 'misusing prescription painkillers, snorting Ritalin, and abusing cannabis and nicotine patches.'
'He has also previously disclosed to me his use of cocaine and nitrous oxide (‘whippets’),' she added.
Rep. Porter accused her ex Julian Willis of sending more than a thousand texts and emails to her, her family and her staff over three months. Willis told Politico in an interview in response that the congresswoman filed for the restraining order to preempt him doing so
Politico conducted a phone interview with Willis on Tuesday where he accused the congresswoman of seeking the restraining order to preempt him suing her and seeking protection for himself and her children.
'She's a monster,' he told Politico.
Willis provided copies of communications with University of California Irvine Police Department claiming she was aggressive and violent toward him and the children in August and asked police to supervise his move out.
A spokesperson in Porter's office told Politico the congresswoman was not in California the day he moved out and had no indication the police had been present.
Willis said he has been sober for more than three years, but Politico noted copies of text messages purportedly show him acknowledging substance abuse since then in 2022.
Porter is on her way out of Congress after an unsuccessful run for Senate.
She was first elected to Congress in the 2018 midterms and has represented first California's 45th district and then 47th district since 2023.
Porter at an election night watch party on March 5, 2024 in Long Beach. She ran for Senate but lost her bid and will be leaving Congress in January
In Congress, she built a name for herself in House committee hearings where she went head-to-head with witnesses and using a whiteboard as a prop.
While she is on her way out of Congress, Porter was active on the campaign trail in the final weeks of the 2024 campaign season where she helped fellow Democrats running including the one who will represent the 47th congressional district come January.
