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Andrea Valderrama, chair of the David Douglas School Board and a 2018 Portland City Council candidate, obtained a restraining order earlier this month against state Rep. Diego Hernandez (D-East Portland).
Valderrama's March 3 filing in Multnomah County Circuit Court alleges Hernandez, with whom she lived from January through April 2019, got drunk, engaged in threatening behavior and threw things, including his phone, at her.
"He usually mixes alcohol, narcotic pills, and marijuana," the filing states. "This use leads to violent outbursts and unpredictability."
"I filed this restraining order because I feared for my safety and my daughter's safety," Valderrama tells WW. "The pattern of behavior that I experienced is behavior that he acknowledged."
Hernandez denies the allegations.
"It's important for me to say unequivocally that I refute the characterizations that are in the petition, both of my actions and my personality," he says. "I believe an airing of the facts in court would present a different, clearer account of the past months, but of course the restraining order is being dismissed, and for good reason….I wish Andrea only the best and I hope we can all move on."
A court hearing is scheduled for Thursday, though the two through lawyers are negotiating a settlement.
"The court approved this restraining order and it is currently in place," Valderrama tells WW. "It has not been dismissed. We were working towards a settlement that would dismiss the restraining order."
Valderrama's court filing lists a June 21 incident from last year when the two went out dancing: "He took pill and drank three very strong drinks," the filing states. Valderrama's filing says he went to dance with other women and returned to find her similarly dancing with other people. He got angry, and the two left. He yelled at her for three hours, the filing recounts.
"This behavior escalated to physical violence when he threw his phone at me," the filing states. "He also threw another object at me that was on the table."
The filing alleges that Hernandez did not recall what happened in the morning, but that he told her that a past partner had said he behaved similarly on a combination of pills and alcohol.
The filing also includes text-message apologies from Hernandez, for drinking too much and for his treatment of her. "I'm sorry. I promise I won't mix alcohol and drugs like that again," one text included in the filing states.
His attorney says the parties have been negotiating over terms for a dismissal of the restraining order.
Valderrama has agreed to a dismissal with an agreement for a mutual no-contact order. Hernandez is seeking to get his legal fees paid.