Disqualified Lafayette Mayor-President Candidate Hit With Cease and Desist Letter

LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL News) - The lone Democrat who was recently disqualified in the race for mayor-president is being threatened with legal action for defamation after repeatedly accusing those who questioned her residency of multiple crimes.

That letter came after she said she filed her own cease and desist letter, all of which is has become part of a larger disagreement between local Democrats and Priscilla Gonzalez.

Gonzales, who was a last-minute candidate in the qualifying for the mayor-president race, was declared ineligible to run in Lafayette Parish by Judge Valerie Gotch Garrett. However, Gonzalez is currently being accused of defaming the local activist who filed a challenge to her residency in the first place.

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In an email sent to Gonzalez's email and Facebook accounts, Gonzalez was asked to stop accusing her critics of stalking her and having a history of battery.

The letter claims that, among other things, Gonzalez has accused one of the local activists involved in the residency complaint, Matthew Humphrey, of having a history of "punching" people. A screenshot of her social media comment to that effect was included in the letter.

"I will let a judge decide if my cease and desist letter and restraining order works," she wrote on her Facebook page. "Matty does have a history of punching people."

Humphrey responded in a later comment, as seen below.

The cease and desist letter sent to Gonzalez also accuses her of claiming she was being stalked. She made those claims in an interview with KLFY News 10 after Friday's hearing.

“They’re actually stalking me,” Gonzales told News 10.” They’re actually making phone calls. Aimee Robinson actually did post a Facebook post that she’s going to dig into my personal finances. I have that included with my cease and desist letter, and I will be filing that against Aimee Robinson and Mr. Matty.”

“Any type of threats actually pointing towards me, any type of physical threats,” she added. “I’ve gotten phone calls saying be careful where you drive. Don’t eat or drink anything that people actually give you. I am taking those threats seriously. Full attack people are camped parked outside of my house. That is extremely unacceptable, and that is harassment. So as of right now, this is a verbal confirmation to Matthew and Aimee Robsinson to cease and desist all attacks,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez initially qualified for the race on the last day after getting a Louisiana driver's license and voter registration, was unable to prove that she has been a resident of Lafayette Parish for at least a year. She has since posted several items as "evidence" on her Facebook page - including a picture of an old lease agreement, a self-redacted U.S. tax return, and a recept to TurboTax for what appear to be Louisiana taxes.

Humphrey's cease and desist calls on Gonzalez to stop making the claims she has been making online.

Specifically, it asks that she:

1. Cease & Desist making defamatory comments about Humphrey and others.
2. Delete any and all defamatory posts on social media.
3. Issue a formal apology to Humphrey and Aimee Boyd Robinson (who was at the center of the residency challenge) on her campaign's Facebook page.
4. Publish and disseminate a formal retraction to all relevant local media outlets regarding the allegations made both on camera and on social media.

As of publication, Gonzalez has not responded to the cease and desist letter.