Outgoing Rep. Katie Porter has received a temporary restraining order against her ex-boyfriend after she told a court that he had sent over a thousand messages to her, her family, and her staff, intending to cause “significant harm” to her image.
According to the Tuesday court filing, Porter said that the “abuse and harassment” by Julian Willis, whom she had dated for several years until August, had caused her “significant fear for [her] personal safety and well-being,” Politico reported based on the legal documents.
In one threatening message, Porter alleged, Willis made the “defamatory” claim that she had genital herpes—Porter submitted STI test results to the court that showed otherwise. In others, he threatened to call Child Protective Services to ask them to take away Porter’s children. He also allegedly tried to extort her for thousands of dollars.
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The California Democrat, who has garnered media attention for fearlessly grilling corporate executives during congressional hearings, made an unsuccessful bid for the Senate this year. She continued to campaign for other party members after losing her race. Her name has been floated as a possible successor to Gov. Gavin Newsom when he reaches his term limit in 2026.
Porter’s political future appeared to factor in as a motivation for the restraining order.
“He has already contacted at least three reporters to disseminate false and damaging information about me and my children,” she wrote. “As a prominent political figure, this threat poses a serious risk to my career and personal reputation.”
Porter said in the filing that Willis struggled with substance abuse and mental health challenges that necessitated two involuntary psychiatric stays since 2022.
“I have observed him misusing prescription painkillers, snorting Ritalin, and abusing cannabis and nicotine patches,” she wrote. “He has also previously disclosed to me his use of cocaine and nitrous oxide (‘whippets’).”
She had asked Willis to move out and stop contacting her in August. While he eventually did so later that month, the onslaught of texts and emails has yet to stop, Porter alleged. She said that her family, staff, and colleagues, including at least one Congress member, had reported receiving disturbing messages.
Willis had told Porter that his goal was to push her into “prolonged psychiatric treatment,” threatening to “punish the fuck out of you,” according to the filing.
“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 wrote on Monday in an email to Porter’s son and ex-husband, per the petition. Willis added that he “would bring the hammer down on Katie and smash her and her life into a million pieces.”
“This is a very unfortunate situation,” Porter told Politico. “Mr. Willis has suffered from well-documented mental health and substance abuse issues. As the records filed today show, those issues have gotten increasingly worse since I ended the relationship and asked him to leave my house. In recent weeks, his threats against my family and my colleagues have escalated in both their frequency and intensity, and I feel I must ask for this order from the court. I sincerely hope he can get the help he needs.”
Willis, however, maintains that Porter filed for the restraining order in an effort to preempt his own impending lawsuit against her and to prevent him from going to the media. He alleged to Politico that she had been “aggressive” and “violent”
“This is her way of combatting all that,” Willis said, adding: “She’s a monster.”
On Tuesday, a judge granted Porter the restraining order, barring Willis from making contact with her or her children until a hearing in mid-December. Although Porter had asked for the order to apply to contact with additional adults other than herself, the judge ruled that they would have to file for their own restraining orders against Willis.
