Outgoing Rep. Katie Porter has filed a restraining order against her ex-boyfriend for allegedly bombarding her with a slew of abusive and threatening messages in a bid to cause “significant harm” to her public image — including one falsely claiming she had genital herpes.
The California Democrat, 50, was granted a temporary order Tuesday after she accused her ex-partner, Julian Willis, of waging a months-long campaign of “persistent abuse and harassment” that left her fearing for her “personal safety and well-being,” Politico reported, citing court documents.
Porter alleged that Willis — who she was in a relationship with for several years — sent her, her family and staffers more than 1,000 texts and emails containing a litany of threats over a three-month stretch after she told him to move out in late August, according to the petition filed in Orange County Superior Court.
He allegedly threatened to call Child Protective Services to try and have her kids removed from her custody and attempted to extort her of thousands of dollars, the filing charges.
The petition also referenced “defamatory” false claims allegedly made by Willis — including that Porter had genital herpes. The congresswoman submitted test results proving she didn’t have the sexually transmitted disease, the outlet noted.
In one email sent to Porter’s son and her ex-husband, Willis allegedly threatened to “bring the hammer down on Katie and smash her and her life into a million pieces.”
“If you don’t fully comprehend what is transpiring, right now, let me spell it out for you. The noose is tightening around Katie’s neck,” Willis allegedly wrote, according to the filing.
Porter, who has remained in the public eye campaigning for Democrats even after losing her California Senate race earlier this year, claimed Willis was trying to threaten her future career prospects.
“He has already contacted at least three reporters to disseminate false and damaging information about me and my children. As a prominent political figure, this threat poses a serious risk to my career and personal reputation,” her filing states.
Porter claimed in the filing that her ex-boyfriend had substance abuse and mental health issues — and had been involuntarily hospitalized for a psych evaluation twice since 2022.
“I have observed him misusing prescription painkillers, snorting Ritalin, and abusing cannabis and nicotine patches,” Porter alleged in the petition.
“He has also previously disclosed to me his use of cocaine and nitrous oxide (‘whippets’).”
Willis, however, told the outlet that Porter filed the order to prevent him from seeking his own protective order amid his claims she was violent towards him and her children.
“This is her way of combatting all that,” he said, adding that “she’s a monster.”
As part of the temporary order, a judge ordered Willis to make no contact with and stay away from Porter and her kids prior to the next hearing slated for mid-December.
He has also been ordered not to contact Porter’s current or former staffers, or co-workers, about her.
