Scarlet Johansson has seen her restraining order against an obsessed fan who claims to have fathered her son rejected by a judge.
The actress, 39, filed against her stalker, named by The Blast as Michael Joseph Branham, in November 2023 after his infatuation left her family terrified.
But the Superior Court of California was forced to dismiss her restraining order on a technicality because the papers could not be served to Branham.
The outlet said Johansson’s attorney Michael Goldstein confirmed he was unable to serve the unhinged fan the restraining order, meaning all temporary restraining orders were also dissolved.
Johansson claims she has been targeted by Branham since August 2022, alleging that his fixation escalated until she filed the restraining order.
According to the actress, the stalking grew during that time until Branham began showing up outside her home, and notes in her reported filing that this included trips on ‘November 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19’.
On November 19, she claims Branham followed one of her neighbors for over 30 miles, believing it was Johansson behind the wheel.
When the neighbor realized what had happened, they reported it to the actress’ assistant as they were left frightened by the stalker’s behavior.
In her rejected restraining order, Johansson said the incident caused her and her family ‘significant fear and concern.’
‘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 continued.
Most alarmingly, Branham is accused of obsessively trying to reach Johansson’s son Cosmo as he believes he is his biological father. Johansson welcomed the child in 2021 with comedian Colin Jost.
The wild allegation stems from when Branham reportedly began turning up at Johansson’s Los Angeles mansion, leading the actress to hire private investigator Jon Perkins.
He was tasked with investigating Branham’s recent behavior, including leaving a number of letters and children’s toys outside Johansson’s mansion.
Perkins told The Blast that he found images Branham had shared online from outside the home, ominously captioned: ‘Here I am and where I’ll be forever.’
The notes he left also allegedly saw the stalker express his wish to meet Cosmo and spend time with him as his father.
Branham had claimed he needed Johansson to send him money, and asked for her forgiveness after he began stealing due to his financial problems, Perkins said.
Johansson is far from the only celebrity to deal with obsessive fans, with songstress Taylor Swift a particularly popular target for unsavory supporters.
In January, one Swift obsessive was arrested on the streets of Manhattan after a failed attempt to get into her apartment building.
The man, referred to at the scene as ‘David’, was arrested on an outstanding warrant for failing to respond to a summons, and had previously been spotted lurking outside the Tribeca apartment on other failed attempts.
