Judge signs restraining order; Tim Cook's alleged stalker must stay 200 yards away
You might recall that back in January we told you about Julia Lee Choi, a woman so obsessed with Apple CEO Tim Cook that she claimed that he was the father of her twins. She even called herself Julia Lee Cook on Twitter. As time went by, the emails sent to Cook by Choi were becoming more violent with some containing images of handguns. In January, the Santa Clara County Superior Court issued a restraining order against Choi on behalf of Cook and all Apple employees.
A hearing was scheduled for today and a judge issued a restraining order requiring the 45-year old Choi to keep at least 200 yards away from the 61-year-old executive for three years. In addition, the San Jose, California court ruled that she is not allowed to contact Cook via email, Twitter, or via any other means.
Choi is now banned from owning a firearm
She visited Cook's home in October while driving a Porsche and was escorted off the property by the police. She also filed to create fake corporations listing Cook as being an executive involved with the bogus firms. As time went by, her obsession, which started in October 2020, started to get more violent.
Choi professed to be in love with Tim Cook but she used an Android device
As a result, as part of the restraining order, Choi was also banned from owning a firearm. She previously begged Cook for sex in other messages before the tone of her emails degraded into threats such as one from November 2020 that included a photo of gun ammunition with the comment, "I warned and told you stop trying to kill me. You made me to buy this instead of going for Christmas. I will NEVER forgive forget you." According to the Associated Press, another email said, "I can’t live like this anymore. I want sex with you, please, please."
It isn't clear whether Choi knows that Cook is openly gay. The Apple CEO revealed his sexual orientation in 2014. Last December, Choi said that she would stop communicating with Cook for $500 million. Screenshots of some of the tweets she sent to Cook made it clear that while she might have loved Cook, she didn't love the products he was making at Apple; her tweets showed that she was using the Android version of the Twitter app.
The New York Post said that Choi waved off reporters Tuesday in front of the Santa Clara County courthouse. Neither Choi nor an Apple attorney present would comment to the Associated Press.
A document filed with the court by Apple's legal team summed up the complaint: "(Choi) has harassed and stalked Apple’s Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook from late October or early November 2020 through the present. Apple first became aware of (her) conduct after (she) tweeted that she was Apple's CEO’s wife, claimed he was the father of her twin children, and 'tagged' Apple's CEO in the tweet using the account @JuliaLeeChoil where her name is “Julia Lee Cook."
The defendant was jealous of Google CEO Sundar Pichai who she thought was a woman named Sandra
The lawyers working for Apple noted that Cook receives a notification when someone tags him in posts on Twitter. Choi also sent a large number of emails to Cook which Apple's attorneys said were even more disturbing than her tweets.
The defendant also dragged another famous tech executive into the case when she mistakenly thought that Google CEO Google CEO Sundar Pichai was a female named Sandra Pichia. Green with jealousy, Choi wrote, "While we two of us reached our love final decision, and in progress, Sandra Pichia, CEO of Google insisting to interrupt Cook's love and tried to hurt me several times."
Apple last year paid $630,000 to protect Cook who, by some accounts, is worth $1.5 billion. Choi said that Cook's wealth means nothing to her stating that "It is strange that you are always in my heart. I have never been interested in your money or reputation."
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