The Georgia Supreme Court upheld a court order that a Cobb County woman with a history of mental illness is banned from going into any Apple store or contacting, stalking or harassing any former co-workers.
But the justices said in a unanimous opinion that banning Catherine Danforth from communicating with Apple employees through social media was too restrictive.
“Danforth could violate the injunction merely by communicating through social media with a person anywhere in the world who happens to be an Apple employee, even if Danforth is unaware of that person’s connection to Apple and the communication has nothing to do with Apple or her unhappy relationship with Apple,” the justices wrote in an decision released Friday.
According to the order, Danforth has been diagnosed with several mental disorders — depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder — and has been hospitlaized several times. And she has a history of stalking, the justices noted.
In 2009, she was charged with aggravated stalking of an Emory Hospital physician and consequently ordered to stay away from Dr. John Horton and not to go on the premises of Emory Hospital for a year.
Apple hired her to worked at its Lenox Square store in August 2011 but she was fired a year later after a number of outbursts at the store — crying, raising her voice, yelling at co-workers and visibly shaking with anger.
After she was fired, the Supreme Court decision said, Danforth sent coworkers long, rambling emails, called them incessantly, left disturbing voice-mails, sent frequent text messages, left handwritten notes at the store and showed up at both the Lenox Square Store and the employees’ parking lot despite being asked to stay away.
Apple eventually noticed that her Facebook profile picture showed her looking through the sights of a hunting rifle so the store hired an off-duty deputy to provide security.
On Nov. 13, 2012, Apple told Danforth in an email not to come to the Lenox store because her behavior was “highly disruptive and harassing.” She continued to place orders to be picked up at the store, which Apple cancelled.
A few days later, Danforth acted as her own attorney and filed a federal lawsuit accusing Apple of discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act, claiming the company had not accommodated her mental disability.
Apple responded by seeking a restraining order and an injunction against Danforth, who continued to send former coworkers emails.
The justices said there was enough evidence to support an injunction but only applies to contact with Apple employees at work or while in action “within the course and scope of employment” with Apple.
The justices said a judge in Cobb County needed to revise the injunction.
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