Two employees of a media company that produces the radio show of a controversial Virginia state senator has filed for a restraining order against the elected official, according to court documents obtained by The Virginia Star.
State Senator Joe Morrissey (D-Richmond) has a court date on June 3, stemming from petitions for restraining orders filed against him on May 20 by two employees of his radio show.
The Star redacted the employee’s name from one of the court documents for privacy, shown below.
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In the meantime, according to a preliminary protective order, Morrissey is ordered to stay 100 feet away from the petitioner at all times.
The order cautions that a weapon was involved in the incident that led to its filing.
Morrissey’s office did not return a Monday comment request.
An executive protection agent working at the office where the incident occurred confirmed for The Star that one of the petitioners is the same employee – a producer – with whom Morrissey got into a verbal and physical altercation during his radio program, The Fighting Joe Morrissey Show, on May 4th.
“Any state bill that’s passed, you have to have exceptions. I’m also very much of a libertarian, and I do not like government telling us what to do,” Morrissey said during the show, which was livestreamed and later removed from Facebook. “I’m much more in favor of a strong state government, as I think are most people.”
“So in a roundabout way of saying, you’re for overturning Roe v. Wade?” his producer asks.
That started a war of words between the pair, which ended with Morrissey shouting at the producer until the show cut to a commercial break.
“Don’t ever tell me what a roundabout way I’m doing. Do you understand that?” Morrissey said before the break.
The executive protection agent, who was hired to do security work at the location where both the petitioner and Morrissey work, said there was confusion on Monday, May 23, when the order was first served.
At that time, the protection agent told The Star, the petitioners and Morrissey were working less than 100 feet from each other. The petitioners work in the radio show studio, and Morrissey works in a nearby office. The police were called to sort the issue out, but not before Morrissey cursed out the protection agent and his partner.
“Hold on a second, who are you and where are you from?” Morrissey asks in a recording of the confrontation obtained by The Star.
One of the protection agents stated their business, and Morrissey at this point becomes enraged.
“Get the f**k out of my office,” Morrissey says in the audio clip. “Get the f**k out of my office!”
One of the protection agents said he wanted to make Morrissey aware of the protective order.
“Get the f**k out of my office,” Morrissey says again. “I’ve already spoken to the police about it, and they told [the petitioner] to stay away on that side [of the building] and the police told me to stay on this side. Now get out of my office.”
Wednesday, May 25, according to the protection agent, Morrissey violated the order by walking directly into the studio where one of the petitioners works.
“Senator Morrissey just blatantly disrespected the protective order and the staff there,” the protection agent told The Star. “He just doesn’t care, based on his actions.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Virginia Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Joe Morrissey” by Senate of Virginia. Background Photo “Courtroom” by Karen Neoh. CC BY 2.0.
Editor’s note: The John Fredericks Radio Network is the media company that produces the “The Fighting Joe Morrissey Show.” John Fredericks is the publisher of The Virginia Star, under a licensing agreement with Star News Digital Media.
