Scarlett Johansson’s restraining order against an obsessed fan has been rejected. Five months after the Marvel Cinematic Universe star filed a request for protection against Michael Joseph Branham, who became infatuated with the actress and claimed he was the father of one of her children, the Superior Court of California was forced to dismiss the order on a technicality after her attorney, Michael Goldstein, was unable to serve Branham.
The upsetting news for the actress was confirmed in court documents obtained by The Blast in late April. The dismissal of the restraining order also dissolved all temporary restraining orders, per the outlet.
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In her original November 2023 restraining order petition, Johansson detailed the year-long ordeal with the fan, which left her believing that she and her children needed protection from Branham. Johansson claimed she has been targeted by Branham since August 2022, and Branham displayed a concerning and growing obsession with her. According to the documents, Branham first began showing up at Johansson’s home in August 2022 and began leaving items at the gate, including notes and a child’s toy, prompting the actress to hire private investigator Jon Perkins. Perkins, who was tasked with investigating Branham’s behavior, said Branham uploaded a picture of himself taken from outside of the actress’ home with a message reading, “Here I am and where I’ll be forever.”
Branham is also accused of attempting to contact Johansson’s son Cosmo, whom she welcomed with husband Colin Jost in 2021. Branham allegedly believes he is Cosmo’s father and implied in notes that he had a parental relationship with Cosmo. He also reportedly said Johansson needed to send him money to help support his financial needs. In one message, he asked for her forgiveness after he began stealing.
Branham’s stalking intensified to the point that he began to show up outside her home regularly, with the filing citing such incidents on “November 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19.” In that latter incident, per the documents, Branham mistook one of Johansson’s neighbors as the actress and followed them for more than 30 miles, contacting them when they reached their destination. The incident scared the neighbor, who reported it to Johansson’s assistant.
“Respondent’s ongoing and escalating pattern of harassment combined with his determination and ability to travel has created heightened safety concerns given several upcoming public events that I will be attending,” the filing stated, adding that the incidents caused Johansson and her family “significant fear and concern.”
Johansson has not publicly commented on the ordeal or the recent news that the restraining order was dismissed. It is unclear if the actress has taken further steps since the dismissal.
