Judge dismisses former California lawmaker Roger Hernandez’s suit against ex-wife Susan Rubio and Blanca Rubio

A California judge on Wednesday granted summary judgment in favor of State Senator Susan Rubio and her sister, Assemblymember Blanca Rubio, ending a civil suit filed by former Assemblymember Roger Hernandez. The judge ruled that Hernandez’s claims that the Rubios interfered with his lobbying work and damaged his reputation were too speculative and failed to show a causal link to any government contract. The ruling comes after years of acrimony stemming from Hernandez’s divorce from Susan Rubio and his attempt to restart his political career.

Hernandez, who served in the California State Assembly from 2010 to 2016, filed the civil action in 2022, accusing his ex-wife and her sister of defaming him by publicly revisiting domestic-violence allegations and pressuring a city council to derail a contract with an energy firm that had hired him as a lobbyist. He said the sisters’ conduct deprived him of consulting fees and damaged his prospects of returning to elected office. The suit also named Blanca Rubio, who had succeeded Hernandez in the Assembly, alleging meddling in his lobbying business.

Earlier rulings in the case had struck down the defamation claim. A separate judge determined that Hernandez could not prove the statements regarding domestic violence were false, citing the outcome of a prior domestic-violence restraining order proceeding. In a second ruling, the court dismissed the portion of the suit alleging the Rubios had caused a causal disruption in Hernandez’s lobbying business, finding no evidence that their alleged conduct led the El Monte City Council to reject the contract with the energy company.

On the defense side, Rubio’s attorney characterized Hernandez’s filing as 'false and malicious litigation.' Hernandez, for his part, argued that the public fallout over his marriage had damaged his reputation and career, telling reporters that the accusations felt like a 'Tonya Harding baseball bat to my knees' that had crippled his ability to compete for office. The defamation portion had been dismissed earlier—the court said Hernandez could not show that the allegations about domestic violence were false because of the prior restraining order process.

From a career standpoint, Hernandez, a Democrat, had served in the Assembly from 2010 until his term ended in 2016, when he sought a seat in Congress but ultimately withdrew amid the divorce and its public fallout. Blanca Rubio, who had been his colleague in the Assembly, took his seat after term limits. Susan Rubio was elected to the State Senate in 2018. The civil dispute thus intersected personal and political lines for years, with Hernandez arguing the Rubios were determined to derail his post-legislative work, while the Rubio sisters contended the suit amounted to harassment and an attempt to weaponize public records for political ends.

The decision by Judge Allison Westfahl Kong marks the latest chapter in a case that entwined domestic-violence accusations with California politics, but it resolves the civil action against the Rubios and limits further proceedings on the issue. Hernandez’s attorney could not immediately be reached for comment, and the Rubios’ office did not provide additional remarks beyond their earlier statements. The ruling underscores how civil litigation linked to personal relationships and political careers can play out in California’s legal system, even as criminal charges regarding domestic-violence allegations remain separate and unsettled in the public record.