Susan Lopez-Craig
Precinct 5 Constable candidate Susan Lopez-Craig will appear on the Democrat Primary ballot with her last name intact after Constable Beth Villarreal dropped the lawsuit Friday morning.
Villarreal filed the lawsuit Dec. 26, challenging that Lopez-Craig was not her opponent’s legal last night. Lopez is the name on her birth certificate, but her last name was changed to Craig when she was adopted as an adult.
Larry Freidman, the attorney representing Lopez-Craig, said Villarreal dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice Friday, so she can’t bring the case against Lopez-Craig again.
Friedman said after the daylong hearing about a temporary injunction Thursday on whether to prevent the ballots from being printed on Monday, Villarreal was likely unhappy about the information he revealed in court and gave in. He said her legal last name is Esquivel, so going by Beth Villarreal on the ballot was the same as Lopez-Craig using that name.
“She had a bad day in court yesterday and I think she didn’t want to testify again today,” Friedman said.
He said Lopez-Craig is pleased with the decision, adding that Villarreal likely brought the suit because she was unhappy his client drew the first place on the ballot.
“I think this was an attempt to knock Susan off the ballot,” Friedman said. “And it didn’t work.”
