Srestha RoyAccording to an agreement entered in Santa Clara Superior Court on Tuesday, a woman accused of stalking Tim Cook has agreed to keep away from the Apple CEO for the next three years.
Julie Lee Choi, 45, is not allowed to approach within 200 yards of Cook, his business, vehicle, or any of his close family members until 2025, according to the agreement. Choi is also prohibited from communicating with the CEO via electronic messages, including email and social media.
Choi is also prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms for the next three years, according to the agreement, after Apple claimed that the lady “may be armed” and sent Cook photographs of ammo and a loaded pistol. According to the court filing, if Choi breaks the agreement, she could face criminal penalties.
The arrangement was initially reported by the Associated Press. According to the publication, Cook was not present at the court in California on Tuesday, and Choi refused to respond, waving reporters away. Apple did not immediately react to Insider’s request for comment, and Choi’s lawyer’s contact information could not be discovered.
Apple had previously been given a temporary restraining order against Choi, which was set to expire on Tuesday. The company claimed the lady fraudulently claimed to be Cook’s wife and mother of two children with the CEO on Twitter and sought to set up a number of businesses using Cook’s name and Apple’s headquarters address.
Choi’s harassment began in 2020, according to the restraining order filing, and she wrote around 200 emails to Cook in a two-month period. According to Apple’s complaint, the texts included requests for sex and other obscene remarks. The emails were “threatening and highly unsettling,” according to the tech firm, which cited photographs of a loaded gun in several of the messages.
In 2014, Cook came out as gay. According to an Apple court filing, Choi appears to accept his sexuality in her emails but continues to send him sexual remarks.
Choi isn’t the only individual against whom Apple has sought a restraining order. Apple was given a temporary restraining order against a guy who Apple said was harassing Cook two years ago. According to court filings, Rakesh Sharma visited Cook’s home twice and “threatened” him.
According to The Associated Press, Apple paid over $630,000 for Cook’s security in 2021.
Timothy Donald Cook is an American business leader who has served as Apple Inc.’s chief executive officer since 2011. Cook previously worked as the company’s chief operations officer under Steve Jobs, the company’s co-founder.
Cook joined Apple as a senior vice president of global operations in March 1998 and later became the executive vice president of global sales and operations. Prior to Jobs’ death in October of that year, he was appointed CEO on August 24, 2011.