Katie Hill was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2018. She represented her hometown of Santa Clarita, California and the rest of the 25th District. She began her term in office on January 3, 2019 and resigned from her position on November 3, 2019.
On October 18, 2019 a political blog called RedState published a story accusing Hill of having a sexual relationship with a House staffer. If true, it would be a violation of the House’s personnel ethics rules. Hill notified Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Hill’s constituents that she did not violate House rules. She said she had an affair with aid campaign staffer before she was elected. She also said she would cooperate with House ethics investigators during an investigation of the alleged inappropriate behavior.
The British tabloid Daily Mail published nude photos of Hill with a woman and the photos were republished by RedState. Hill called the release of the photos as revenge porn and accused her estranged husband, Kenny Heslep, of giving Daily Mail the photos. She resigned her position, Heslep filed for divorce, and she became an advocate of victims of revenge porn.
On December 8, 2020 Hill filed and obtained a temporary restraining order against Heslep. According to court documents Hill stated, "While I considered filing a restraining order [TRO] times over the years, I was always afraid doing so would simply make matters worse," said Hill's sworn statement in her request for the TRO on Kenny Heslep. "At this point, I am finally seeking a restraining order because I am afraid that he will not give up until I am dead." During their 15 years together, Hill alleged Heslep had abused her including chocking her unconscious, threatening her with a gun, abusing her animals, and releasing sexually explicit photos of her to the media when they separated.
The judge granted Hill’s TRO request with a hearing scheduled for December 30, 2020 to determine whether the order should be extended. Heslep must stay at least 100 yards from Hill, Hill’s mother and sister and Hill’s animals. The judge deferred the decision on whether to prevent Heslep from disseminating “confidential information” until the December 30 hearing.
As of this date, there has been no response from Heslep.
In layman’s terms, in California, “…if you have been beaten, cut, kicked, threatened, stalked, or raped by your former spouse or partner, by the father or mother of your children, by someone you have dated or lived with in a dating relationship, or by a family member, you may be a victim of domestic violence.” (Family members are defined as your parents, grandparents, brother, sister, children or grandchildren.)
For further information, contact a local family law attorney or visit the Los Angeles Superior Court website for other support at domesticViolenceInfobrochurepg2.pdf (lacourt.org)