Apple gets temporary restraining order against alleged Tim Cook stalker

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Apple continues to soar under Tim Cook's assured leadership.
An alleged stalker reportedly showed up at Tim Cook's house on more than one occasion.
Photo: Apple

A San Francisco Bay Area court granted Apple a temporary restraining order Friday against a woman who claimed to be Tim Cook’s wife and threatened the Apple CEO. She also allegedly trespassed at Cook’s home in Palo Alto, California.

The 45-year-old woman began tweeting about Cook in late 2020, referring to him as her “bed man,” among other things. She also allegedly emailed him multiple times, sometimes sending photographs of pistols, bullets and MacBooks.

Tim Cook’s alleged stalker

In its application for the restraining order, filed Thursday, Apple said the alleged stalker is in the South Bay area and could be armed. Apple called the woman’s behavior “erratic, threatening, and bizarre.”

The documents, made public Monday by Santa Clara County Superior Court, include copies of tweets and lurid emails allegedly sent to Cook by the woman. She claimed Cook fathered her twins. Plus, she allegedly filed paperwork to set up fake corporations, listing Cook as an executive.

The situation escalated beyond those bizarre written missives late last year. Apple’s documents said the woman drove from Virginia to California, then showed up at Cook’s home on October 22, where she asked to talk to the exec. Security asked the woman to leave. She did, but returned later, according to Apple’s documents.

South Bay newspaper The Mercury News said local police stopped the woman after the alleged visit to Cook’s home:

Palo Alto police responded to the alleged trespassing, and the woman was stopped “after attempting to flee,” the application said. She allegedly told police she was staying in Palo Alto and “could get violent.” No weapons were found during a search of her Porsche, which police had towed because the woman’s driver’s license was expired, the application said. Palo Alto Police Lt. Con Maloney said the department had no information to release about the incident. “There is no active police investigation,” Maloney said.

Apple’s temporary restraining order

The temporary restraining order bars the woman from possessing a gun or getting within 200 yards of any Apple employees (including Cook). It also stipulates that she must stay away from all Apple property as well as Cook’s home.

The Mercury News said Apple declined to comment on the situation:

Neither Apple nor the lawyer who filed the application responded to questions about what the company may be doing to protect Cook, employees and the public.

Former Santa Clara County prosecutor Steven Clark said when someone applies for a restraining order, courts “tend to err on the side of caution” but the danger “has to be immediate and there has to be a perceived ability to carry out the threat.”

It’s not the first time an alleged stalker has contacted Cook. In 2019, a man reportedly brought champagne and flowers to the Apple CEO’s house.

The current temporary restraining order expires on March 29. The court scheduled a hearing for that day.

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