A Washington, D.C., Superior Court judge on April 17 revoked a stalking restraining order granted in February against local LGBTQ activist Darren Pasha at the request of the Capital Pride Alliance.
In his ruling at a court status hearing, Judge Robert D. Okum echoed concerns expressed by defendant Darren Pasha that the original order was too broad and did not specify specifically who he had to stay at least 100 feet from, as required by the order.
On April 17, Mr. Okumu ruled that the original order, noting that it was oral rather than written, would be held pending an evidentiary hearing in which Capital Pride would be required to present evidence justifying the need for such an order.
“I have no problem scheduling a hearing where the plaintiff can present evidence and the defendant can present evidence,” Okum said. “But it’s not enough to just continue with verbal TROs.” [Temporary Restraining Order] Actually, Pasha doesn’t even notice. That seems unfair,” he said.
After asking Pasha and Capital Pride Alliance attorney Nick Harrison when they would be available for an evidentiary hearing, Okumu set the Superior Court date for April 27 at 11 a.m.
The lawsuit began when the Capital Pride Alliance, a Washington, D.C.-based LGBTQ group that organizes the city’s annual Pride event, filed a civil complaint against Pasha on Oct. 27, 2025, alleging that Pasha harassed, threatened, and stalked Capital Pride staff, board members, and volunteers over a one-year period.
The complaint also included a separate motion seeking a restraining order, preliminary injunction, and anti-stalking order prohibiting Pasha from “further contacting, harassing, threatening, or interfering with Plaintiff, its staff, officers, volunteers, or affiliates.”
In his initial ruling in February, Okumu issued an order requiring Pasha to stay at least 100 feet away from Capital Pride staff, officers and volunteers until an April 17 status hearing. The stay away distance requested by Capital Pride was shortened by 200 yards.
Pasha, who has been represented in court without a lawyer, has maintained in multiple court filings and motions that Capital Pride’s stalking allegations are false. In his initial 16-page response to the complaint, Pasha said this appears to be a form of retaliation for a dispute between Capital Pride and its former board president, Ashley Smith, who has now resigned from the company’s board.
“It is clear that this document is full of false, misleading, and unsubstantiated claims,” Pasha’s court response states.
At the April 17 hearing, Mr. Okumu also ruled that, as is standard procedure in civil cases such as this one, he ordered the parties to enter into court-supervised mediation and reach a settlement rather than in court.
In an earlier ruling, Mr. Okumu rejected Mr. Pasha’s request for a jury trial, saying such civil cases must be tried under the current Civil Courts Act, with a judge issuing a verdict.
The April 17 court hearing was held in the courtroom, but as permitted by current court rules, Capital Pride attorney Harrison and Capital Pride board member June Crenshaw participated virtually via video connection. Pasha attended the court hearing.
Capital Pride said in a statement that “this matter is proceeding in court as usual.” “We look forward to presenting relevant evidence at the scheduled public hearing. Capital Pride Alliance remains committed to maintaining a safe and respectful environment for our staff, volunteers and community, and addressing concerns through appropriate channels.”
“This is clearly a case of retaliation,” Pasha told the Blade after the hearing. “Today, the judge reversed the curfew and asked Capital Pride Alliance to present sufficient evidence and a case to determine whether the curfew should be granted,” he said. “Pride is coming up in June, so we’ll have to see how this goes.”
Source: Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News – www.washingtonblade.com
