A college student who has tracked Taylor Swift's private jet miles defended his right to protected speech in a new letter sent to the pop star after she fired off a cease and desist.
"Put simply, there is nothing unlawful," a lawyer stated on his behalf, RadarOnline.com has learned, noting his client, Jack Sweeney, and Sweeney's company, GRNDCTRL, LLC., only used "publicly accessible information to track private jets," including those used by public figures including Russian oligarchs and Elon Musk.
According to his letter, Sweeney's reporting of the mileage from the Federal Aviation Administration does not violate any of her legal rights. "Our clients have never made any threats against Ms. Swift and your letter does not suggest they have done so."
Swift's attorney, Kate Wright Morrone, sang a very different tune in her cease and desist and claimed Sweeney was engaging in "stalking and harassing behavior" by revealing the singer's flight information in real-time via social media, stating they would "have no choice but to pursue any and all legal remedies" if he did not stop.
Marrone said it caused "direct and irreparable harm, as well as emotional and physical distress," and heightened Swift's "constant state of fear for her personal safety."
"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," Morrone wrote, arguing there was "no legitimate interest in or public need for this information, other than to stalk, harass, and exert dominion and control."
As we previously reported, Sweeney was famously booted off X, formerly Twitter, in December after platform CEO Musk said that tracking his jet was akin to sharing "assassination coordinates," unless done on a "slightly delayed basis."
Sweeney and his attorney, James Slater, stood by his decision to share her and other public figures' flight paths in his letter sent to Swift.
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"We do not know why you believed the best claim against an individual in Florida and his company is a California statute, but that, combined with the absence of any credible legal claim, suggests a groundless effort to intimidate and censor our clients. We doubt Ms. Swift will pursue meritless legal action, but if she does, we will defend our clients' rights."
