HOUSTON, TX – Three Houston-area attorneys, activists and members of the public called for increased scrutiny of 280th District Court Judge Damiane Dianne Curvey during a press conference, raising allegations involving protective orders, recusals and the operation of Harris County’s protective-order court.

Civil Rights Attorney U.A. Lewis, Attorney Adjua Umoja Justice and judicial candidate Rose Cardenas were among those who spoke. They were joined by community advocate Dr. Candice Matthews, organizer Kyle French and people who said they had been directly affected by proceedings in the court.

Lewis said she supports an investigation by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct and questioned Curvey’s handling of ex parte protective orders. Lewis specifically alleged Curvey signed an order involving a person described during the press conference as a close friend of approximately 40 years and said Curvey should have recused herself. Lewis called for other ex parte orders signed by Curvey to be reviewed.

Umoja Justice alleged the court has been “weaponized” and said repeated efforts have been made to have Curvey recused from cases involving Dr. Matthews. She said she has represented Dr. Matthews in six protective-order matters, four of which went to trial, with the remaining matters also ultimately dismissed.

Dr. Matthews described an initial protective-order case against her that ended in a nonsuit followed by five additional applications. She said the later cases were eventually dismissed by other Harris County judges after Curvey was removed from handling matters involving her.

The press conference also focused on allegations involving a meeting between Curvey and Natalie Stewart, who speakers said testified that she and Curvey had known each other for approximately 40 years. Dr. Matthews said an Uber driver later provided a sworn affidavit concerning a conversation allegedly heard after Stewart left Curvey’s residence.

Matthews said the affidavit and information were provided to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and described the matter as an open investigation. Umoja Justice said the driver filed what she described as a public-corruption complaint and questioned why the investigation had not moved more quickly.

French also called on the State Commission on Judicial Conduct to take additional action. He said a grievance he filed has been pending for more than a year and, according to his understanding, has advanced to an attorney-review stage. He called for Curvey’s removal from the bench.

French alleged repeated recusals and disputes over court orders have cost taxpayers thousands of dollars and claimed protective orders have been used to affect other legal proceedings, including child-custody, divorce, property and immigration cases.

Members of the public also described their experiences.

Eric Dupre said a protective order prevented him from communicating with his children and claimed he had been incarcerated four times over alleged violations. Dupre said the criminal cases resulting from those arrests were later dismissed.

Marybel Picazo, speaking as a grandmother, alleged a 10-year protective order separated her from her granddaughter and said efforts to have the order vacated have been unsuccessful.

At the conclusion of the press conference, Dr. Matthews called on both the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and the State Commission on Judicial Conduct to act on complaints and documentation submitted concerning Curvey. She said the materials include affidavits, court transcripts, judicial complaints, and sanctions.