Man ordered to stay away, not contact Taylor Swift

By Anthony McCartney, Associated Press

Tuesday, March 25, 2014 | 12:14 p.m.

LOS ANGELES — A man accused of saying he is married to Taylor Swift and threatening to harm her family was ordered Tuesday to stay away from the Grammy-winning singer for three years.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carol Boas Goodson granted Swift a restraining order against Timothy Sweet.

Court filings by Swift state that Sweet has sent messages threatening to harm the entertainer's family or anyone who interferes with his perceived relationship with her. The singer wrote in a sworn declaration that she fears for her safety in public and at home.

"Mr. Sweet's course of conduct, including threats to harm my family, are seriously alarming and harassing and are extremely distressing to me and my family," Swift wrote in a sworn declaration filed March 3.

Sweet has also gone to the singer's homes in Beverly Hills and Nashville, the filings state.

Sweet did not attend Tuesday's hearing and did not respond to the singer's restraining order petition, which included several online messages that were attributed to Sweet.

"Dearest Taylor, I'll kill any man who gets in the way of our marriage," one of the messages stated, according to the filing.

Sweet has not been charged in Los Angeles with making threats, court records show.

The restraining order covers Swift's parents, her homes and places where she works in Los Angeles and Nashville.