Too Many Unanswered Questions Behind The Max Grossman Arrest

This article was updated at 2:10pm on August 11, 2025 to add that it has been confirmed that the restraining order keeping Grossman away from his children was lifted yesterday. Grammatical corrections throughout were also made.

Over the last week, El Paso News has spoken to several individuals with knowledge about the alleged incident of family violence filed against Max Grossman and people with information about his arrest. Many spoke to us on the condition of anonymity due to the nature of the case and because some were not authorized to speak officially about it. The following has been pieced together from those conversations, and court and police records.

Anyone that has watched a police show knows that the most important thing to keep in mind when charged with a crime is to remain silent. Defense attorneys will implore a defendant to not talk about their case publicly. The number one priority for any defendant is to not make matters worse by speaking.

As such, it should not surprise anyone that our attempts to get comments from Max Grossman have been met with “on the advice of my attorney I cannot comment at the moment.”

An arrest is not a conviction as only a jury, or a judge can convict a defendant of a crime. Grossman’s silence is the prudent action to take in his position. Since the day his arrest became public, we have filed numerous open records requests for police records and are yet to receive them.

But as sparce as the public record is there are facts we now know and they raise more questions than they answer. There is also the political aspect hanging over the arrest that cannot be ignored. Each of the questions will be answered in the coming weeks and months, and some will remain just unanswered questions. But before getting to the questions, it is important to know what the facts are.

What We Know

According to online jail records, Grossman was booked into the downtown county jail on September 5. He was released later that day on a $2,500 bond. Although the jail records list his arrest date as September 5, the records for the bond he posted show that he was arrested the previous day, September 4. Sources have told us that he was arrested the afternoon before.

The alleged assault allegedly happened on August 27 according to the jail records and the complaint affidavit.

The complaint affidavit, dated September 3, states that Grossman allegedly pushed his partner by using “both his hands (open hands)” on her chest. The affidavit states that the push caused his former partner “pain and discomfort.” The affidavit explains that Grossman and his partner were “having issues with their relationship for ‘sometime’ and recently” had “broken-up,” but “were still living in the same household.” Grossman and his former partner are the parents of an eighteen month old girl.

The complainant told the police officer taking the complaint that she took Tylenol for the pain and went to her doctor the following day after “she noticed swelling” on the left part of her chest. Grossman’s partner had undergone breast surgery in July, the affidavit states. On September 1, her doctor told Grossman’s partner that she had suffered “a hematoma” on the left part of her chest, according to the affidavit.

On September 4, a protective order was issued keeping Grossman away from his daughter, his stepdaughter and his former partner. The County Attorney’s office says it receives over 3,000 applications for protective orders each year and is able to get judges to approve around 600 of them.

On the day that Grossman was released from jail he filed a civil lawsuit asking the court to order that both parents be allowed “joint” decisions for their child. The suit asks that the judge order that “the primary residence of the child” be in El Paso County. It also adds that both parents should have equal access to the child and to give Grossman “the exclusive right to enroll the child in school.” The civil lawsuit was filed at 9:45am on September 5, according to the time stamp on the civil suit. Records show that Grossman was released from jail before 4:00am that morning.

Yesterday, September 10, 2025, Grossman was charged with a Class A misdemeanor for family violence. According to an attorney we spoke to, a Class A misdemeanor can result in up to one year in the county jail and up to $4,000 in fines. The penalty is determined by a judge.

The Questions

The day after Grossman was arrested an editorial appeared in Bob Moore’s El Paso Matters online news publication. The editorial went viral on social media as soon as it was published. It was shared by several women including politicians like Veronica Escobar and Lyda Ness Garcia.

The problem with the editorial is not its message of the misogynism women suffer but on the timing of its publication and the missing context El Paso Matters has not disclosed concerning the author’s possible motivations for writing the piece and the lack of context Matters did not include necessary for readers to understand why Max Grossman was arrested. The important missing context behind the editorial only helps a distorted narrative that benefits the politicians that Grossman has targeted.

Before delving into what may have motivated El Paso Matters to publish an editorial the day after Grossman was arrested it is important to understand other context that is missing from the narratives being constructed around Grossman’s arrest.

The Protective Order

A new Texas law took effect on September 1, that makes it easier for victims of sexual assaults, stalking and family violence to get protective orders. Under the new law, protective orders in child custody cases can last until two years after the case is settled. An individual charged with a family violence crime can have a protective order extended by two years.

Although we have been unable to confirm whether the protective order keeping Grossman away from his child remains in force, a source told us yesterday that the court lifted the protective order. After this article was published we received confirmation that the protective order for his daughter and step-child was lifted yesterday by the judge. Because the protective order was lifted the question becomes is Grossman as dangerous as alleged by social media commentary? Moreover, does the protective order, although standard in cases like this, give rise to distorted narratives serving a political purpose? Another issue to address is who is accusing Grossman of domestic violence. Publicly it is the mother of his daughter and his former partner.

Is It Proper To Name The Accuser?

Yesterday’s KVIA online report about the case states that “ABC-7 is not publishing the name of the accuser – we are following corporate policy of not naming the alleged victims of domestic violence.”

It has been a long-time edict of news outlets to “steer clear of printing the names of domestic violence victims.” Editors argue that not naming the alleged victims of domestic abuse “protect the abused from further victimization, but some question whether those policies are having the intended effect.”

But what happens when the accuser is named publicly by a family member wanting to help them?

The day after Grossman was booked into jail, A GoFundMe account was created by someone claiming to be the mother of Grossman’s accuser. The fundraising account has a picture of the accuser and her two children, including Grossman’s daughter. The GoFundMe account has been shared by several woman on social media.

The GoFundMe account makes several statements that are not supported by the public record. According to the fundraiser’s narrative, the accuser’s life “was turned upside down after a traumatic incident with her ex left her injured on August 27.” The narrative adds that “she is in pain, and the doctors say she must have surgery as soon as possible,” and that “she cannot wait.”

This statement contradicts the public record that states that the alleged victim went to the doctor after the alleged incident and was diagnosed with “a hematoma.” The police affidavit makes no mention of the necessity for an emergency surgery. The narrative also ignores that the alleged victim and Grossman continued to live together after the alleged “traumatic” incident. This is supported by the public record.

The plea for donations says that the money raised will be used “to help her with” the “surgery and medical expenses,” as well other expenses like “legal costs to protect her family” and caring for the children and reestablishing a household for her and the children. The public record is devoid of any mention of the necessity for surgery due to the alleged incident.

Ignoring the possible motivations behind the accuser filing the police report leading to Grossman’s arrest allows the public’s narrative to be framed behind an accusation of domestic violence. The narrative on social media allows a narrative to be framed about Grossman without the context of what else has transpired. For example, the public narrative generally ignores the public record showing that after the alleged incident, the accuser continued to live with Grossman, seemingly not afraid for her wellbeing. The narrative ignores a police incident report where police responded to a call from Grossman asking for help to locate his daughter on September 3, two days before he was arrested.

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Duranguito and Paso del Sur

Earlier this week, the Facebook Group page for Paso del Sur addressed the Grossman arrest. As per news media reports, Grossman was a key factor in protecting Duranguito from the threat of gentrification brought on by the proposed controversial sports arena.

The Paso del Sur post posted by an unnamed writer takes umbrage with Grossman being credited with helping to preserve the Duranguito neighborhood. The author writes that “the movement’s grassroots origins were increasingly overshadowed by Max Grossman, who positioned himself at the forefront of the preservation effort.” The writer added that Grossman’s “involvement, while bringing legal and financial resources, frequently drew attention away from the residents and their lived experiences.” The missive, while trying to distance Grossman from the saving of Duranguito also credits him for the “legal and financial resources” he provided. The writer adds that “early in the effort, organizers made the difficult decision to align with Grossman due to the resources he could access,” clearly acknowledging the part Grossman played in the controversy.

The post references Grossman’s arrest and asks officials to reflect on whether they should continue to work with Grossman.

The Paso del Sur post clearly tries to create a narrative around Grossman attempting to diminish his involvement with the group protecting Duranguito while exposing a divide within the group that is likely politically motivated.

Politics At Play?

KVIA characterized Grossman yesterday as a “well-known government watchdog.” The KVIA report refers to Grossman’s El Paso Taxpayer Revolt website where Grossman writes about “high-ranking current and past officials, including Nicole Aldrete-Ferrini.” The news station acknowledged that it and other news media outlets had “published reports about her professional credentials being called into question after videos Grossman shared showed she described herself as an architect multiple times in public settings.” This is something that El Paso Matters clearly ignored when it published the op-ed written by Ferrini.

The El Paso chapter of the American Institute of Architects weighed into the controversy about Aldrete-Ferrini holding herself out to be an architect in the public comments posted by Grossman and shared to the news media. The architect’s professional group asked the city council to investigate Ferrini for her “frequent, possibly illegal use of a professional designation and misrepresentation” about her being an architect. “For several years now, Ms. Nicole Aldrete-Ferrini,” had been misrepresenting herself as an architect, although “Ms. Ferrini is not now, and to our knowledge, has never been qualified to call herself an architect” stated last year’s letter.

At the time, Ferrini, then the city’s Community and Human Development Director, was one of four finalists being considered as the city’s new city manager. Dionne Mack was appointed the city’s third city manager in August 2024.

Officially Ferrini “left” the city sometime in late November 2024 without a public announcement by her or city officials. KVIA asked city officials on December 3, 2024, if Ferrini had resigned or was terminated. KVIA reported that city officials told them that “as a matter of policy, the City of El Paso does not comment on personnel matters.” Except for the weekly El Paso Inc., who published Ferrini’s departure as a resignation, all other news coverage of her departure have characterized her departure as having “left” the city.

Of the four city manager finalists, Mario D’Agostino and Robert Cortinas remain with the city while Dionne Mack became the newest city manager. Ferrini left last year without a public announcement.

A source with knowledge of Ferrini’s departure from the city told El Paso News that Ferrini was fired by the city or was forced to resign in lieu of being fired. Ferrini penned the op-ed that was published by El Paso Matters on Saturday, the day after Grossman’s arrest became public.

The Ferrini “Me Too” Op-Ed

In 2017, actress Alyssa Milano popularized the Me Too Movement in a viral social media hashtag in response to Harvey Weinstein’s widespread sexual abuse of women. The Me Too Movement encourages women to share their experiences.

Ferrini’s op-ed starts out by stating that “this week, Max Grossman – a man who’s been a stain on local government and politics for more than a decade – was charged with family violence.” Except for the Ferrini op-ed, the online publication has yet to report on the arrest or the charges against Grossman leaving Ferrini to create a narrative about him without the factual context behind the charges or what Grossman and his attorneys have said about the arrest.

Ferrini writes that the family violence charge was that “for many women in this city, it was confirmation,” insinuating that Grossman has a history of family violence. He does not. She added that “this arrest is not an isolated event,” again creating a distorted narrative that Grossman has a documented history of violence towards women.

Ferrini’s op-ed was allowed by Bob Moore to be posted without the important news reporting context that news outlets are supposed to provide to balance the community’s perception of those charged with a crime. Moore enabled the op-ed to become El Paso’s mini version of the “Me too Movement,” albeit about toxicity against women politicians and not physical violence. At the very least Moore should have included a note that Ferrini had been accused of misrepresenting her professional credentials. He did not.

El Paso Matter’s lack of basic journalistic standards was laid bare by former El Paso Herald Post and Texas Tribune columnist and now lawyer, Steve Fisher, who posted on social media that Matters exhibited “poor journalism” and that the op-ed “lacked common ethics and decency on many levels.” Fisher added that he submitted a rebuttal to Bob Moore but was rebuffed with “an angry ‘I’ll pass’,” response from the publication.

It is important to note that Grossman has not been charged with any crime involving sexual abuse, although the insinuation was created by Ferrini’s op-ed a day after Grossman’s arrest became public and very little details about the alleged crime was known. It is Lyda Ness Garcia who says that Ferrini’s op-ed piece “has become the “Me too” movement.

The Lyda Ness Garcia Recusal

In a statement that Lyda Ness Garcia sent to the KVIA asking that they post her statement, Garcia writes that she has “no position or personal knowledge” of Grossman’s civil or criminal case. Garcia adds that she was not aware that Grossman’s case was assigned to her court until after she had posted her comments on her social media account.

In her statement, Garcia wrote that she and her children “have been attacked, slandered, and harassed relentlessly and the climate must change.” She added, “Ms. Ferrini’s op-ed has become the ‘Me too’ movement for so many women who just wish to serve our community.”

Garcia’s written statement adds “that women are brave for sharing their stories and experiences with vitriolic slander, libel and lies.” Garcia points out that Ferrini’s op-ed had been “shared hundreds of times by Congresswoman Escobar, Leah Hannity [sic], Cassandra Hernandez and other women in the public sphere speaks volumes that we understand this experience of being a capable woman in a misogynistic world.” Garcia concludes her statement with “I have been stalked for over a decade by the vitriol and lies of small men.” The word misogynistic is an adjective that describes actions and words rooted in contempt, hatred or prejudice against women.

The GoFundMe Account

The GoFundMe account created by a person claiming to be the accuser’s mother shows that 55 donations totaling $3,296 have been made. Among the names named as donors include Cynthia Cano, Leah Hanany, Adair Margo and Lauren Zimmerman.

It is important to point out that it is not known if the names correspond to the public figures that have the same name, but it is likely that they are making the donations.

The donor names, along with the Ferrini op-ed adds to the political dimension behind Grossman’s arrest. As of this morning, Bob Moore’s publication, El Paso Matters has yet to report on the Grossman arrest, leaving open what Bob Moore considered, if anything, before allowing an opinion piece to be published without the context of the factual story behind it. Was it a political consideration?

The Timestamp On The Complaint Affidavit

An important question has arisen over the timestamp on the Complaint Affidavit used to arrest Grossman. The affidavit is stamped by the District Clerk’s office as having been filed on September 3, 2025 at 11:26pm, almost at midnight.

It is unclear whether the District Clerk’s timestamp was automated or was it processed manually.

Because of the color of the time stamp it appears to be that it was manually applied. Does this mean that the District Clerk is processing affidavits 24-hours a day? The affidavit states that it was created by police in the morning. The late stamp raises questions about how the affidavit used to arrest Grossman was processed. Was it processed as most affidavits are processed or was special attention given to it, again leading to the question, are there political motivations behind the arrest and the subsequent narratives being created?

On the day that the complainant was reporting the alleged incident, Grossman was asking police for help locating his daughter, according to the dates on the affidavit and on the police encounter report. Is this not important context in the Grossman narrative?

The problem with political narratives being created around a criminal event is that by the time the facts have emerged the damage has been inflicted. Political operatives take advantage of this reality to damage an opponent by politically managing public narratives before the facts are known. It is these important questions that require an answer to properly understand the narratives around the Max Grossman arrest.