In the case of Ashley Brown vs Timothy John Whittome, filed in the Court of Appeal of the State of California, First Appellate District, Division Three (case ID: A168384) on April 23, 2024, Brown was granted a civil harassment restraining order against Whittome. The defendant appealed the decision but his appeal was denied due to lack of an adequate record.
Ashley Brown had sought a restraining order against Timothy John Whittome in June 2023, alleging that he had sent someone to her apartment with a letter intended to intimidate her. She also claimed that she received threatening mail from him in September and December 2022. Brown provided evidence including letters from Whittome and an attorney representing him, text messages between Whittome and a third party as well as between herself and another third party where she expressed feeling stalked and endangered by Whittome.
The court initially issued a temporary restraining order but noted that the allegations were thin on evidence of substantial emotional distress. However, after a hearing where both parties testified and presented documents, the court found clear and convincing evidence for a three-year restraining order against Whittome. The defendant argued that he did not have enough time to review the documents presented at the hearing among other contentions but his claims were dismissed due to inadequate record.