Court dismisses assault lawsuit against OC education trustee Ken Williams

A civil lawsuit accusing Orange County Board of Education Trustee Ken Williams Jr. of assaulting a driver after an alleged road rage confrontation has been dismissed at the driver’s request, according to Voice of OC. The dismissal prevents the plaintiff, Caden O’Malley, from bringing the same lawsuit again.

The case concerned a sitting county education trustee whose district includes Irvine, Brea and several other Orange County cities. Williams disputed the allegations and maintained that he acted in self-defense; his attorney said the parties agreed to release their claims without exchanging money.

According to Voice of OC, O’Malley’s lawyers asked the Orange County Superior Court on July 13 to dismiss the entire case with prejudice. The court entered the dismissal that day, closing the case permanently.

The lawsuit, filed in 2024, stemmed from an alleged confrontation on a residential road in Silverado in 2023. O’Malley’s complaint alleged that Williams repeatedly braked ahead of his vehicle before the drivers stopped and got out.

O’Malley alleged that Williams threw him to the ground and choked him after he approached Williams’ Escalade to photograph its license plate. Williams disputed that account and maintained that O’Malley was the aggressor, according to the publication.

David Libman, Williams’ attorney, said the parties reached an agreement in June 2026 to release their claims against one another, with no money changing hands. O’Malley’s attorney declined to comment to Voice of OC.

Williams represents District 3, covering Brea, Irvine, Orange, Villa Park and Yorba Linda, along with parts of Anaheim, Lake Forest and Tustin. He was reelected in 2024, and his term ends in 2028.

Williams is also a physician on staff at several Orange County hospitals and recently retired from service as a reserve county deputy sheriff, Voice of OC reported.