Kelly Mullens' attorney Blair Burk says in a statement that the lawsuit filed today by ex-L.A. Times editor Andres Martinez is without merit — and grows out of a restraining order that Mullens obtained earlier this year because of "unstable behavior" and threats.

Andres Martinez has filed a meritless and clearly frivolous lawsuit in a sad attempt to retaliate against Ms. Mullens, who earlier this year obtained a restraining order against him because of his unstable behavior, threats, and harassment. This is part of a pattern of harassment by Mr. Martinez against Ms. Mullens which has gone on for a long time. Ms. Mullens will not be bullied by Mr. Martinez's abuse of the legal system; she intends to vigorously defend the lawsuit and she is confident she will prevail.

Here's my earlier post on the suit.

* Friday morning update: This morning's Times story has details:

Mullens obtained a 14-day restraining order in a Washington, D.C., court against Martinez in April in which he was ordered to stay away from her and her mother.

The court order also prevented Martinez from sending e-mails to Mullens, her colleagues, the media and her clients.

Their relationship began in September 2005 and lasted until about July 2007, according to an affidavit for the restraining order. There was a brief reconciliation until the relationship ended in December 2007, the affidavit states.

Once the relationship ended, Martinez "sent constant harassing, intimidating, obsessive, crude and vulgar" e-mails and text messages from his cellphone and personal and work e-mail accounts in Washington, D.C., to Mullens in California, the affidavit states.

The communications escalated to a point where Mullens feared that Martinez "was planning his own suicide, a suicide-murder involving her and/or his own [ex-]wife and/or son or some other violent event," according to the affidavit.

An attorney for Martinez called the matter resolved when Mullens and Martinez reached an "amicable settlement."