A college student facing potential legal action from pop star Taylor Swift over his flight tracking social media accounts is holding fast.
Jack Sweeney, 21, is a junior at the University of Central Florida and the man behind social media accounts tracking Ms. Swift and other celebrities, including X and Tesla owner Elon Musk.
On Monday, Mr. Sweeney posted on X the letters between Ms. Swift’s legal team and his.
In December, Ms. Swift’s lawyers sent a cease-and-desist letter to Mr. Sweeney, writing that he is “notorious for disregarding the personal safety of others in exchange for public attention and/or requests for financial gain. … While this may be a game to you, or an avenue that you hope will earn you wealth or fame, it is a life-or-death matter for our client.”
The “financial gain” refers to efforts made by Mr. Musk to get Mr. Sweeney to stop. The X owner offered the student $5,000 in 2022 to stop publishing his jet’s whereabouts. Mr. Sweeney asked instead for $50,000, and the offer ultimately fell through.
Since the accounts give updates on where Ms. Swift’s private jet is landing, her legal team led by Venable LLP lawyer Katie Morrone argues that it gives stalkers a roadmap on where to find the singer.
“Your wrongful and dangerous actions must stop,” Ms. Morrone added.
Her team said Mr. Sweeney’s accounts violated “several state laws,” mainly California civil code on stalking, and that the student has no legitimate interest in tracking the jet.
After Mr. Sweeney continued to post past a Dec. 26 deadline set in the first letter, Ms. Swift’s team sent a follow-up on Jan. 12. The student’s team responded two weeks later.
“Our clients have never made any threats against Ms. Swift, and your letter does not suggest they have done so. … Our clients’ website provides the location of private jets using publicly available information,” Slater Legal PLLC lawyer James Slater wrote.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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