Travis County Democratic Party files lawsuit against man who blew up group headquarters

Austin, Texas – The Travis County Democratic Party filed a civil lawsuit against the man who blew up its headquarters in 2021.

In September 2021, Ryan Faircloth was caught on CCTV throwing a Molotov cocktail at the Texas County Democratic Party Headquarters. The incident Cathy Naranjo, party chairman, says she remembers it like it was yesterday.

She can even remember the note Faircloth left that scared her and the other employees.

“To say it’s a light warning and that he doesn’t want the Democratic Party or the Democrats to exist in Texas and that he will do it again,” she said.

In May 2022, Faircloth was sentenced to six years in federal prison for malicious arson. Less than a year later, he, along with members of the Texas County Democratic Party, were again in court in a civil lawsuit filed in connection with the incident.

“Why it was important for the party staff and for me to participate in today’s trial and hold Mr. Faircloth accountable, because he needed to know that we are real people,” Naranjo said.

Naranjo says they want to hold Faircloth liable for this civil lawsuit. The claim seeks compensation for actual and exemplary damages to the party and employees who have been personally affected the most.

“Hopefully we will deter him and others from similar actions in the future. They understand that we as people are trying to stand up for what we think is best for our families or our society,” Naranjo said.

This is expected to be a two-day trial period.