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Trumbull GOP chairman files suit over former secretary’s ‘stranglehold’ on party Facebook pages
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
The Trumbull County Republican Party chairman, Randy Law of Warren, has requested permanent and temporary injunctions against the party’s former secretary, Martha Yoder, a Farmington Township trustee running in November for state representative.
The suit, filed last week in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court, accuses Yoder, of West Farmington, of continuing to represent herself as party secretary, trying to call and run party meetings and control the party’s Facebook accounts despite being removed as party secretary three weeks ago.
The legal action asks Judge W. Wyatt McKay to issue an order restraining Yoder from representing herself as party secretary or any other party officeholder, and restraining her from interfering with the party’s Facebook accounts.
The action contains a copy of a May 24 letter to Yoder, notifying her that she had been removed as secretary.
The letter accused her of “erratic and unexplainable behavior” since Jan. 28, 2016, and says she has “publicly and explicitly refused and neglected your duties as secretary.”
In an emailed reply to The Vindicator, Yoder said she has “no intention of resigning [as secretary] despite the bullying tactics” of Law and Atty. John Large, who wrote the letter and filed the injunction request.
“For his own petty reasons, the party chairman would like to have me removed from my elected position, but he lacks any legal authority to do so,” Yoder wrote.
The action says Yoder was removed May 23, and was notified of the removal by certified U.S. mail May 25, because of malfeasance (wrongful conduct) or misfeasance (lawful action in an improper manner).
Nonetheless, she “continues to represent herself as the secretary of the party,” the action says.
She “has control of the party’s Facebook accounts” – Trumbull County Republican Party Central Committee and Trumbull County GOP – and has excluded and blocked certain members of the party from the pages, including Law, the action says.
The May 24 letter ordered her to “immediately relinquish your stranglehold on the Trumbull County Republican Party Facebook page” or face legal action.
Yoder is running for state representative for the 64th District against Democratic incumbent Michael O’Brien, who is seeking his second term. O’Brien is former Warren mayor.
Yoder defeated Atty. Richard Hlaudy of Howland in the Republican primary.
A hearing on the injunction request has been set for 10 a.m. July 21 before Magistrate Jami Bishop.
Law, when contacted by telephone, said Yoder has “trashed the party,” deleted Law’s posts on the party’s websites, allowed comments on the sites that should not have been allowed, urged “violence” against Law and “wanted to take control of the party.”
The websites Yoder refused to turn over were a “closed group” that the public could not access, only people accepted onto the group, Law said.
Law said the party still supports Yoder’s bid to be elected state representative.