Calling her stalking a "grave risk" to the safety of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, a judge Wednesday ordered a woman who has made unauthorized visits to the singer's Malibu home to stay at least 100 yards from him and his property for the next five years, the maximum allowed by law.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Thomas Trent Lewis issued his orders after the woman, Ariana Joyce, refused to put her electronic equipment through a weapons screening station in the courthouse, causing her to miss Wednesday's hearing. He also took several minutes to review Facebook posts by Joyce, shaking his head as he read the final one.
"The postings are an escalation of her delusional belief that she is in a romantic relationship with Mr. Martin," Lewis said.
The judge also said Joyce "has become fixated on Chris Martin."
In his petition, Martin said Joyce has left notes at his residence that allude to death and suicide, as well as to his daughter Apple, 14, and son Moses, 12, whose mother is Martin's ex-wife, actress Gwyneth Paltrow.
The judge's orders are good through May 1, 2024, and provide similar protection to the 42-year-old Martin's two children and his current girlfriend, Dakota Johnson. Lewis said Joyce also was under the false belief that Johnson had taken part in a break-in at Joyce's apartment.
Lewis said he did not believe Joyce's previous statements in court that she did not go onto Martin's property.
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"It's quite obvious that she did," Lewis said.
The judge further said that Martin made "extraordinary" efforts to be kind to Joyce when she came to his home and to deal with her in a rational manner.
Lewis additionally criticized Joyce for her behavior before him, saying she did not follow normal courtroom decorum. During her previous two appearances, Lewis admonished her for engaging in rants and being argumentative instead of asking appropriate questions of witnesses. He also repeatedly told her not to interrupt him when he was talking.
In finding that Joyce was a "grave risk" to Martin and the others, the judge said he was sympathetic to the woman's statement that she enjoyed going to the area because it was near where her father died.
"It really is a very sad situation," Lewis said.
Joyce was scheduled to be cross-examined Wednesday by Martin's attorneys. The judge said he also was going to allow Joyce to give a narrative version of events from her point of view.
Wednesday's rulings mean that Martin will not have to return Tuesday and resume the testimony he began April 24. Martin was granted an interruption in the hearing so he could tend to business in London in the interim.
