St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her Cleared of Restraining Order Petition
A Ramsey County family court referee has dismissed a petition for a restraining order against St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, filed by a former family friend, Shirly Yang. The decision came after a review of dozens of pages of text messages and testimony from a state representative.
Yang, who had been a confidante of the mayor, claimed that their friendship had deteriorated into a war of words by text message last summer, causing her to fear retaliation. She attended weekly therapy sessions and stated that she was driven to thoughts of suicide due to the situation. Yang had served with Her on the board of the National Kidney Foundation in Minnesota from October 2023 until October 2025, when she was dropped from her board seat due to a “public conflict” with Her.
Background and Testimony
Yang had been introduced to state Rep. Ethan Cha, a DFLer, by Her, and the two started an on-again, off-again romantic relationship. However, Yang claimed that Her began asking intrusive questions about their sex lives, oversharing about her personal life, and calling or texting from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. Cha testified that he considered himself a neutral party between the two women and had tried to de-escalate the situation, but was unsuccessful.
Her, represented by attorney Charlie Nauen, did not testify during the hearing. Nauen noted that both women had blocked each other on social media and had almost no contact since the end of last July, except for a mediation meeting on November 2 with two elders in the Hmong community. Yang displayed a thread of text messages from last July, where Her had written to Cha that if Yang’s behavior continued, she risked being psychiatrically committed, at great loss to her four children.
Decision and Aftermath
Court referee Elizabeth Clysdale blocked the petition, stating that there was no evidence the July text was intended in a threatening manner or that there was a sustained pattern of intrusive behavior. Yang said she had no plans to appeal the decision and believed her anti-bullying message to the mayor had gotten through. Her’s attorney, Nauen, released a statement saying that the mayor was pleased with the decision and looked forward to getting back to work.
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