Alamogordo NM
5-29-2026 8:48pm

Rep. John Block Files Emergency Motion to Strike Filing, Seal Court Records from Eddy and Lea County Exposed & ATN IPRA Requests

In the bizarre world of District 51 Representative John Block he is seeking a simple property dispute court case to seal records from IPRA requests.  Eddy and Lea County Exposed broke the news again on Friday that State Representative John P. Block IV (R-District 51) filed an emergency motion, Wednesday, in Otero County’s 12th Judicial District Court, asking a judge to strike a discovery motion filed by his former domestic partner, Karl P. Melton, and impose sanctions of up to $5,000 plus attorney’s fees. But the filing may have accomplished something Block’s legal team did not intend: pulling two of the region’s most aggressive public-records watchdogs even further into the spotlight.

The Motion

Motion Link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KmZzbJxunj1B794v0LOfkkbKPQZbjfcI/view?usp=drivesdk

The emergency filing, submitted by Block’s attorney Michael J. Seibel and stamped at 5:01 PM on May 28, 2026, targets Melton’s May 22 Motion to Conduct Limited Discovery and Inspection Regarding Removed Shared Household Property. Block’s filing argues Melton’s motion bypassed mandatory discovery procedures under New Mexico Rules of Civil Procedure and improperly inserted what Block calls “scandalous and impertinent” allegations — including references to an alleged extramarital affair and claims of illegal account access — into the public court record.

Block is asking the court to strike the discovery motion entirely, impose Rule 1-011 NMRA sanctions of $5,000 plus all reasonable attorney’s fees, seal the emergency motion and its exhibits, and issue a protective order barring Melton or anyone acting on his behalf from disseminating the allegations to the public or press.

Independent Media Already on the Case

Among the exhibits Block’s own attorneys attached to the emergency motion is a screenshot from Eddy and Lea County Exposed, an independent social media news page with over 15,000 followers that had already been tracking the case. The page operates independently and has no affiliation with journalist Chris Edwards or his outlet, Alamogordo Town News (2nd Life Media), though both have been covering the Block matter extensively.

Block’s motion cites the page’s coverage as evidence that Melton’s filings are being weaponized to generate negative media attention. The irony was not lost on Eddy and Lea County Exposed, which responded pointedly to its inclusion in the court record: “I didn’t sneak into this case. John Block dragged my page into it himself. If the truth is so false, why does it keep showing up in court filings?”

Eddy Lea County Exposed other Block Coverage on the Melton filing…

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1TJfhrUUNf/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Following Eddy and Lea County Exposed’s initial reporting on the emergency motion, journalist Chris Edwards independently covered the story through Alamogordo Town News, which has followed Melton v. Block since its early stages. The two outlets, while covering overlapping subject matter, remain entirely separate and independent operations.

IPRA: The Investigative Engine Behind the Coverage

What Block’s motion does not fully reckon with is how deeply both outlets have embedded themselves in the public records process surrounding his activities and that of political leaders throughout the region. Both Eddy and Lea County Exposed and Alamogordo Town News have been actively using New Mexico’s Inspection of Public Records Act — commonly known as IPRA — as a primary investigative tool to track the Block case and many other matters of public concern involving elected officials across the region.

IPRA, New Mexico’s open records law, gives the public and journalists the right to request and obtain government documents, and it has become an essential instrument for both outlets in holding local officials accountable. The Block case is one of multiple pending public matters the outlets are monitoring through the IPRA process, using document requests to build a factual foundation for their reporting.

Eddy and Lea County Exposed has gone beyond simply using IPRA as a reporting tool — the page has been a vocal public advocate for the process itself, including offering testimony at public hearings on the importance of open records access as a check on political power. The outlet has argued consistently that IPRA is indispensable for keeping tabs on elected officials and political parties, and that attempts to restrict or discourage its use represent a direct threat to government transparency.

A link to their discussions on IPRA use and commentary can be found below…

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18YqSxH9ak/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Alamogordo Town News has similarly made IPRA central to its investigative work — so much so that the outlet has drawn formal criticism from the local school system, which has complained that ATN’s volume of public records requests places an undue administrative burden on district staff and adds to system expenses. ATN has pushed back on that characterization, maintaining that public agencies exist to serve the public and that robust records requests are a cornerstone of accountability journalism, not an imposition.

The Broader Context

Block’s request that the court seal filings and issue a protective order silencing dissemination of case-related information will likely be viewed by press freedom advocates as an attempt to use the judicial process to suppress legitimate reporting on a public official. Both outlets have previously faced legal pressure in connection with their coverage — attorney Seibel sent a cease-and-desist letter to Chris Edwards earlier this year threatening defamation action over ATN’s reporting on Block’s domestic relationship and legislative record. Edwards and ATN refused to retract, asserting First Amendment protections and the accuracy of their reporting.

That cease-and-desist letter is now itself part of the ethics complaint record before the New Mexico Ethics Commission, where a separate complaint against Block — Case No. 2026-016 — has been building since earlier this year.

The underlying case, Melton v. Block (No. D-1215-CV-2025-00757), stems from a property dispute following the end of a romantic relationship between the two men. Melton contends Block removed shared household items from their Alamogordo home without authorization. Block counterclaims the items were his personal property, including family heirlooms belonging to his deceased grandmother.

A hearing on the emergency motion has been requested at the earliest date available to the court. Court officials confirmed a date of July 15th.

Prior coverage of the Melton v. Block case and related public records reporting can be found at 2ndlifemediaalamogordo.town.news.

Further information on Eddy and Lea County Exposed can be found at

https://www.facebook.com/share/14iFMUjzfHL/?mibextid=wwXIfr

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