The contest for California’s 17th congressional district between incumbent Ro Khanna and challenger Ethan Agarwal is escalating months ahead of the primary, with anonymous distributions of court records detailing Agarwal’s legal history reaching newsrooms.
Agarwal entered the race in March with backing from several technology investors, positioning himself against Khanna following the incumbent’s support for a proposed California ballot measure that would impose a one-time 5% tax on residents with net worth exceeding $1 billion.
Anonymous Document Leak Highlights Legal Disputes
The distributed materials include multiple legal cases involving Agarwal. Among them is a $683,000 personal judgment tied to a $2 million copyright settlement with Universal Music Group. The case stemmed from allegations that Agarwal’s company, Aaptiv, used music recordings without authorization. Agarwal had personally guaranteed the settlement before stopping payments with three months remaining. The parties later reached another settlement.
The documents also reference a nearly $2 million lawsuit filed in 2023 by a landlord over a lease at One World Trade Center that Aaptiv exited during the COVID-19 period. That case was later dropped.
Another case cited is a 2019 federal lawsuit brought by Malibu Media, which alleged adult content downloads from an IP address linked to Agarwal. The case was settled without a court finding of liability. Malibu Media has filed similar lawsuits nationwide and has faced criticism over its legal tactics.
Campaign Attacks And Public Response
Agarwal has criticized Khanna by pointing to the congressman’s stock trades while in office, while Khanna’s policy positions, particularly on taxation, have drawn scrutiny from Agarwal’s supporters.
After the New York Post published a report highlighting the Malibu Media case, Agarwal addressed the matter publicly, sharing the article and stating that transparency about personal issues was important for candidates.
Investor Chamath Palihapitiya, one of Agarwal’s backers, commented that the circulation of opposition research reflected growing concern about Agarwal’s electoral prospects.
The primary election for California’s 17th district is scheduled for early June.
Featured image credits: Osano
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