Republican activist Dr. Steven Hotze is attempting to halt the progression of a civil trial scheduled for February, alleging it is part of a politically-motivated conspiracy orchestrated by Democrats.
According to The Houston Chronicle, Hotze filed a request on December 31 with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, seeking an injunction to delay the trial. The case stems from allegations that Hotze orchestrated the 2020 assault and false imprisonment of air conditioner repairman David Lopez, who was followed and detained by a private investigator working for Hotze’s organization, Liberty Center for God and Country. The investigator was reportedly conducting a probe into alleged ballot harvesting during the 2020 election.
The Incident and Lawsuit
The incident at the center of the case happened on October 19, 2020, when Mark Aguirre, a former Houston Police Department officer working as a private investigator for Hotze, allegedly rammed Lopez’s van in the Almeda area of Harris County. Aguirre reportedly drew a gun, forced Lopez to the ground, and restrained him, believing Lopez’s vehicle contained fraudulent ballots.
Police later confirmed the van contained only air conditioner parts.
Lopez filed a lawsuit against Hotze in May 2021, alleging assault and false imprisonment. At the time, Hotze had not yet been criminally charged. In December 2021, a Harris County grand jury indicted Aguirre on charges of unlawful restraint and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Hotze was subsequently indicted on similar charges in April 2022, followed by additional charges in August 2024, including engaging in organized criminal activity.
The episode occurred in the broader context of the 2020 presidential election in which then-President Donald Trump often accused Democrats, without evidence, of organizing a large-scale conspiracy involving fraud and stolen ballots. “It’s the only thing they do well, they cheat,” Trump said on Sept. 21, 2020. “Their policies are no good. Their government is no good. Their management is no good, but they cheat like nobody can cheat.”
Allegations of Political Targeting
Hotze’s legal team claims the lawsuit is part of a broader effort led by former Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg and others to suppress his political activities. The lawsuit accuses Ogg of collaborating with private attorneys to use the civil case as a pretext to gather evidence for criminal charges against Hotze.
“[Hotze] was only criminally prosecuted due to his political views and the fact that Liberty Center was investigating voter fraud in an election where the Democrats were successful,” wrote Jared Woodfill, Hotze’s attorney, in the court filing. Woodfill is a former chair of the Harris County Republican Party.
Ironically, District Attorney Ogg lost her 2024 primary election to fellow Democrat Sean Teare amid allegations that she is a closet Republican. Ogg has been accused of showing favoritism to Republicans, including Woodfill with his own legal entanglements, while targeting Democrats for selective prosecution. Ogg has since joined Harris County Republican Commissioner Tom Ramsay’s staff as a policy advisor, lending credence to complaints by Democrats that Ogg aligns more with Republicans.
Hotze’s lawsuit claims Lopez’s attorneys are affiliated with the Texas Democratic Party and accuses them of conspiring with the Ogg to target him for his efforts to expose voter fraud in Harris County. Hotze also asserts he participated in discovery for the civil case without being aware of the parallel criminal investigation.
The filing also alleges violations of Hotze’s constitutional rights, including free speech, equal protection, and protections against self-incrimination. It seeks damages and an injunction to prevent the DA’s office — which, again, is no longer headed by Ogg — and other unnamed parties from participating in the civil trial until the criminal case is resolved.
Neither Ogg nor the Harris County District Attorney’s Office has responded to the lawsuit as of Thursday afternoon.
The civil trial is currently set to begin on February 17.
