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WARREN – An apparent internal squabble inside the Trumbull County Republican Party has turned into legal action.
GOP party chairman Randy Law, in the name of the county party organization, filed legal action in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court seeking permanent and temporary injunctions against the party’s former secretary, Farmington Township Trustee Martha Yoder, who is running for a seat in the state legislature.
The legal action accuses Yoder of “erratic and unexplainable behavior” by continuing to represent herself as party secretary. He said she was removed in accordance with party bylaws.
The document asks Judge W. Wyatt McKay to order Yoder to stop representing herself as a party official and restrain her from interfering with the party’s two social media accounts.
Yoder issued a prepared statement on the legal action: “I have reviewed this matter with my attorney and he assures me that this lawsuit has no merit whatsoever. He will file our response in due course but informs me that he does not try his cases in the press.”
Yoder said she is secretary of the Trumbull County Republican Party and claimed the party chairman lacks any legal authority to remove her from this position in which she was elected by the party central committee members.
“I have no intention of resigning from that position despite the bullying tactics of party chairman Randy Law, and his lawyer (John Large),” she said.
A hearing on the injunctions is set for 10 a.m. July 21 before Magistrate Jami Bishop.
Yoder is running for state representative for the 64th District against Democratic incumbent and former Warren Mayor Michael O’Brien, who is seeking his second term. In the March GOP primary, Yoder defeated attorney Richard Hlaudy of Howland.
As part of the legal document filed by Law is a letter to Yoder, dated May 24 and written by Large, that informs her she had been removed as secretary. The letter states that since Jan. 28, Yoder “has publicly and explicitly refused and neglected your duties as secretary.”
The legal action, which was filed June 8 and contains the party bylaws, said Yoder was removed from office May 23, and the letter by Large was delivered by certified U.S. mail May 25.
When contacted Tuesday, Law said the matter is “basically a cease-and-desist” order, a legal exercise to gain control of the local GOP party’s social media websites. He said there is a public Facebook page and a closed group which includes all party center committee members.
“In the last several days, Yoder has renamed the closed group as unofficial,” Law said.
Law said for the past several months, Yoder has refused to carry out his orders and removed posts made by himself and other central committee members.
“I don’t know how to explain this erratic behavior,” Law said.