HollyMatkinHayward, CA – Antifa leader and middle school teacher Yvette Felarca was ordered to pay over $11,000 in damages to former Berkeley College Republicans President Troy Worden on Thursday, following an Alameda County Superior Court ruling.
Felarca, a national organizer for antifa-aligned group By Any Means Necessary (BAMN), filed a civil harassment restraining order against Worden in September, 2017, and alleged that he stalked her by appearing at BAMN events, the San Francisco Gate reported.
BAMN also led protests against conservative speakers who came to UC Berkeley in 2017 – speakers whose appearances were promoted by Worden in his capacity as the Berkeley College Republicans president.
Following her September request, Felarca was granted a temporary restraining order, and the court ordered that Worden had to stay at least 100 yards away from her, Berkeleyside reported.
The court later amended the distance limitations to 10 yards.
Felarca applied for a permanent restraining order in October, 2017, but dropped her pursuit on the day of the hearing.
Worden and his attorney, Mark Meuser, then sued Felarca for damages as attorney fees, Campus Reform reported.
On Thursday, Commissioner Thomas Rasch determined that Felarca’s request for a restraining order “was not brought in good faith,” the San Francisco Gate reported.
According to Berkeleyside, he ordered Felarca to pay Worden $10,000 in attorney fees, and $1,100 in court fees.
“Felarca and her fellow travelers in BAMN/Antifa need to learn that the California courts are not their personal plaything to use and abuse at will by filing baseless and vexatious lawsuits,” Harmeet Dhillon, an attorney at the law firm where Meuser works, told Campus Reform.
The restraining order also prevented Worden from exercising his free-speech rights on campus, Worden said.
“By ruling that she did not demonstrate good faith in filing the restraining order, the court recognized the frivolous nature of Felarca’s actions,” Meuser said. “The award of attorney fees should send a strong signal that she cannot abuse the court system to silence speech.”
Felarca’s activist fanaticism was first documented on June 26, 2016, when she was filmed as she assaulted a man during a rally in Sacramento, the East Bay Times reported. She was charged for inciting and participating in a riot and assault likely to cause great bodily injury.
Her pretrial hearing in that matter is scheduled for January, Berkeleyside reported.
Felarca also faces charges from Sep. 26, 2017, when she was arrested for rioting, obstruction and battery while she protested at the Patriot Prayer demonstration at the UC Berkeley campus, Berkeleyside reported.
Her attorney, Shanta Driver, argued that the Thursday ruling only proved that the judge took political sides.
“This verdict was based on the judge’s decision to support the political views of Troy Worden and the alt-right and that is not acceptable,” Driver told Berkeleyside.
Driver said they intend to appeal the ruling.