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Alleged Britney Stalker Sues Back
A man ordered to stay away from Britney Spears is now suing her for causing him "extreme emotional distress" and accusing her guards of brandishing a gun.
Originally posted Friday October 24, 2003 10:14 AM EDT
A man ordered to stay away from Britney Spears is now suing the star in Los Angeles federal court for causing him "extreme emotional distress," Reuters reports.
In papers filed Thursday, Masahiko Shizawa, a 43-year-old software entrepreneur from Yokohama, Japan, claimed that the pop princess's security guards pulled a gun on him in a public street and told him to leave the area.
He seeks unspecified damages. The Spears camp has not commented on the matter.
At an Oct. 7 hearing, Judge Alan Haber called Shizawa "abnormally obsessed" with the star, ordering him not to contact the entertainer and to stay at least 300 yards from her for three years.
According to testimony from that hearing, Shizawa -- who the judge determined had "engaged in a pattern of harassment and stalking" Spears for more than a year -- was placed on the federal "no-fly list" as a potential threat to the pop tart.
Spears, 21, sought a restraining order against Shizawa in December 2002, claiming he tried to contact her at her home and her parents' home, and that he sent her photos of himself and notes saying "I'm chasing you."
Shizawa, who didn't attend the Oct. 7 hearing, says he returned to Japan when his U.S. visa expired last December (at about the same time Spears petitioned for the restraining order), but he wanted to resolve the matter so he could return to the U.S.
His lawyer, Simon Robert Hiller, has argued that Shizawa is a harmless, law-abiding citizen and simply confused due to a cultural misunderstanding. Hiller also said his client is "in love" with Spears.
In papers filed Thursday, Masahiko Shizawa, a 43-year-old software entrepreneur from Yokohama, Japan, claimed that the pop princess's security guards pulled a gun on him in a public street and told him to leave the area.
He seeks unspecified damages. The Spears camp has not commented on the matter.
At an Oct. 7 hearing, Judge Alan Haber called Shizawa "abnormally obsessed" with the star, ordering him not to contact the entertainer and to stay at least 300 yards from her for three years.
According to testimony from that hearing, Shizawa -- who the judge determined had "engaged in a pattern of harassment and stalking" Spears for more than a year -- was placed on the federal "no-fly list" as a potential threat to the pop tart.
Spears, 21, sought a restraining order against Shizawa in December 2002, claiming he tried to contact her at her home and her parents' home, and that he sent her photos of himself and notes saying "I'm chasing you."
Shizawa, who didn't attend the Oct. 7 hearing, says he returned to Japan when his U.S. visa expired last December (at about the same time Spears petitioned for the restraining order), but he wanted to resolve the matter so he could return to the U.S.
His lawyer, Simon Robert Hiller, has argued that Shizawa is a harmless, law-abiding citizen and simply confused due to a cultural misunderstanding. Hiller also said his client is "in love" with Spears.
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