Apple granted restraining order against alleged Tim Cook stalker

Apple has accused a Virginia woman of stalking CEO Tim Cook for more than a year. On Thursday, Apple requested a restraining order against her and, on Friday, a judge in Santa Clara County granted it, according to court filings first reported by the Mercury News.

Cook apparently found out about the 45-year-old woman because she was tagging him on Twitter, using the last name "Cook." She was claiming she was married to him and that he was the father of her twins. She allegedly emailed him some 200 times, escalating to a "threatening and highly disturbing" tone, according to the application.

One of the emails was an application to be his roommate in Cook's Palo Alto condo; another email, according to the New York Times, included photos of a handgun and ammunition, along with comments like, "My new gun will never return it at this time before I shoot!" The woman also allegedly registered fake corporations naming Cook as a corporate officer, director, or agent.

In October, the woman showed up to Cook's home in her car and asked to speak with him. Security sent her away, but she returned minutes later, the Times reported. Police officers stopped her and searched her car, but didn't find any weapons. They towed her car because of an expired license, and she allegedly told them that she "could get violent."

The court order prohibits the woman from possessing guns after Apple's application said the woman "may be armed and is still in the South Bay Area and intends to return to [Cook’s] residence or locate him otherwise in the near future." The woman also can't approach any Apple employees, including Cook, enter Apple property, go to Cook's house in Palo Alto, or contact him on social media. The hearing on whether to extend the order is scheduled for March 29.

This isn't the first time Apple has had to get a restraining order against an alleged Cook stalker. In February 2020, it was granted a temporary restraining order against a man who allegedly trespassed on Cook's Palo Alto home twice, according to the Mercury News.