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- Former Rep. Katie Hill of California was granted a restraining order against her ex-husband by a Los Angeles judge on Tuesday.
- First reported by NBC News, Hill accused her ex, Kenny Heslep, of leaking nude photos of her along with both physically and mentally abusing her over the course of 15 years.
- “While I considered filing a restraining order many times over the years, I was always afraid doing so would simply make matters worse,” Hill, a Democrat, said in a sworn statement.
- “At this point, I am finally seeking a restraining order because I am afraid that he will not give up until I am dead.”
- Hill resigned from Congress in 2019 after photos showing her naked with a female staffer were published on RedState.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Former Congresswoman Katie Hill of California was granted a restraining order against her ex-husband by a Los Angeles judge on Tuesday.
“While I considered filing a restraining order many times over the years, I was always afraid doing so would simply make matters worse,” Hill said in a sworn statement, according to NBC News.
“At this point, I am finally seeking a restraining order because I am afraid that he will not give up until I am dead.”
Back in August, Hill told Insider’s Eliza Relman that she was seeking “redemption” against her ex-husband Kenny Heslep for, among other things, allegedly leaking nude photos of her.
A scandal around photos of Hill showing her naked with a female staffer led to her resignation from Congress in October 2019.
In court for her temporary restraining order request, Hill also accused Helsep threatening her with a gun, abusing her pets, and choking her to the point of unconsciousness, part of what she described as a pattern of abuse stretching back 15 years.
Hill and Helsep met in 2004 when she was 16 and he was 20, according to the filing.
Hill said she felt Helsep's "possessiveness and older age made me feel safe, protected and loved."
However, she said red flags quickly emerged, and Hill described the perilous position she felt herself stuck in.
"I walked on eggshells around Kenny, afraid to do anything that would make him angry," she said in the filing.
Helsep's heavy interest in guns was a particular concern, Hill said, with her ex-husband owning "at least a dozen" by her count.
"I would frequently find him with guns spread over the table while he cleaned them which was far, far more frequently than necessary," she said in her statement. "He would 'hide' guns around the house in places he knew I would find them - such as in my clothing drawer, in the kitchen, in my office - which I felt threatened and intimidated by."
Hill has been working with women thinking of running for office for the first time, but at age 33, she did not rule out another campaign down the road when she spoke with Insider.
"I know in the position I'm in now I'm able to help a lot of women who are able to make that sacrifice and who deserve a seat at the leadership table," Hill told Insider in August. "That doesn't necessarily have to be me. I don't know that there's imminently going to be a reason for it to be me in any conceivable election, but there might be one and, if so, then I'll look into it and I guess we'll see from there."