Golden Bachelorette Ran Clear Background Check on Contestant Gil Ramirez Before Ex’s Temporary Restraining Order (Exclusive)

A source tells PEOPLE that "this filing occurred in the brief period between completion of our thorough background investigation... and the beginning of production"

THE GOLDEN BACHELORETTE
Gil Ramirez. Photo:

Disney/Ricky Middlesworth

Golden Bachelorette contestant Gil Ramirez’s past has been revealed.

PEOPLE has obtained documents alleging Ramirez has a past of stalking, with an ex-girlfriend filing a temporary restraining order against him just three months ago. According to a court filing dated June 11, which a source close to the show says was just days before production began, a woman who claimed to have been dating Ramirez was granted a temporary restraining order citing “harassment — emotional.”

“Despite telling him to not contact me, come to my house — he made repeated unwanted contact with me, family members and friends,” she claimed in the request for a domestic violence restraining order, although she clarified she had not been physically injured by Ramirez. “25 attempts daily via phone, texts, video. Although lives an hour away — showed up at places I frequent to confront me on a daily basis.”

The woman noted at the time that the alleged harassment had been going on for a “two week period thus far."

THE GOLDEN BACHELORETTE
Gil Ramirez (left) and Joan Vassos (right).

Disney/Gilles Mingasson

She requested Ramirez not contact her and stay away from her home, her workplace, her vehicle and her children’s school. A judge granted the temporary restraining order that same day and set a hearing for July 2.

On July 2, the hearing was postponed, as the order was unable to be served to Ramirez. Because of this, documentation from the court shows the hearing was set to take place on July 24 and the temporary restraining order was continued.

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By the next hearing date, court minutes show that the woman was “sworn and testifie[d],” and “the case is dismissed without prejudice for lack of prosecution for lack of service.” The temporary restraining order was also dropped.

A source close to The Golden Bachelorette tells PEOPLE that "this filing occurred in the brief period between completion of our thorough background investigation and exhaustive vetting process, and the beginning of production."

The insider added that due to the information coming out, the show has "further edited his already limited screen time and minimized him in promotional assets moving forward."

Ramirez appeared on night one of Joan Vassos' season of The Golden Bachelorette, which aired on Wednesday, Sept. 18. According to his profile, he is a 60-year-old “educator” from Mission Viejo, California. 

He received a rose at the end of the episode and will be continuing to next week of the show.

PEOPLE has reached out to Ramirez for comment.

THE GOLDEN BACHELORETTE
The Golden Bachelorette's Jonathan, Pascal, Pablo, Gregg, Jordan, David, Charles, R.J., Gil, Michael, Bill, Guy, Chock, Gary, Keith, Ken, Bob, Mark, Charles, Jack, Dan, Kim, Christopher, and Thomas.

Disney/Ricky Middlesworth

This is not the first time a member of Bachelor Nation has been caught with a questionable background. Just last week, on Sept. 16, news broke that the winner of season 21 of The Bachelorette Devin Strader had previously been arrested on accusations of breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s home and violating several temporary restraining orders. 

According to a protection from abuse order filed on March 22, 2017, which was later obtained by PEOPLE, the woman told police she returned home from out of town "to find her room burglarized" and an item missing days prior on March 19.

She said she and Strader “had just recently broke up” and he lived a couple doors down from her. She also claimed he was never given a key or "unaccompanied access" to her apartment when they were together or after.

She later made several complaints, which PEOPLE obtained, claiming that Strader violated the protection orders and even burned "what appeared to be the actual restraining order” outside of her home.

On Sept. 19, Strader spoke out against the allegations: “Most recently, there have been challenges from a low point in my past that have been brought up and severely misconstrued," he claimed. "The accusations are simply not true as I have never inappropriately laid hands on another individual or treated my ex-girlfriend in any of the ways I have been depicted."

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"That restraining order was never granted, and fully dismissed. My college ex-girlfriend and I ended up reconciling, and eventually ended our relationship on good terms. This was the first time I ever fell in love and I learned a lot from our relationship. It was a growing experience for both of us.” [Editor's note: Although a judge did grant a temporary restraining order against Strader in March 2017, which was later extended by one month to April 2017, a permanent restraining order was never granted because his ex-girlfriend voluntarily dismissed the request.]

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