Lexington councilmember barred from attending in person meetings, has to do so virtually

Lexington, Ky (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) — On Tuesday, a judge approved a restraining order between two members of the Urban County Council.

The restraining order was filed by Sixth District Council Member Denise Gray against Fourth District Council Member Brenda Monarrez. The filing, according to Civic Lex, follows allegations of sexually aggressive behavior.

On Tuesday, neither Monarrez nor Gray were in attendance for the hearing.

Judge Traci Brislin upheld the protective order of Gray against Monarrez.

The judge ruled Monarrez cannot come within 500 feet of Gray or her home.

She must also work from home, and attend council meetings virtually.

Cara Stewart, Denise Gray’s Attorney adding “there is an emergency protective order in place to help her do that, and she is relieved by the fact that that order continues to be in place and in fact, was strengthened this morning to make sure that her workplace is a safe place for her to continue doing her public work representing her constituents.”

ABC 36 reached out in various ways to Monarrez for comment, we have yet to hear back.

In response to the ongoing situation, Susan Straub, with the City of Lexington released a statement.

“The government will follow the court order and, after today, make arrangements for Councilmember Monarrez to attend meetings remotely. Due to the timing of the court hearing, she will not be able to attend today’s meetings because the government is unable to provide the 24-hour advance public notice required by law.”