Taylor Swift’s Jet Tracker Defends Actions After Being Slammed With Cease & Desist
By Afouda Bamidele on February 20, 2024 at 12:30 PM EST
Taylor Swift might be headed towards major legal drama.
Less than two weeks after it became public that the pop singer sent student Jack Sweeney a cease-and-desist letter demanding he stop publicizing data about her private jet flights, he has hit back.
Sweeney's response, published on his social media account by his attorneys, threatened legal action against Swift.
Jack Sweeney Wants Taylor Swift To Bring On The Legal Fight
On Monday, Sweeney posted a two-page letter he sent to Swift, asserting he did nothing wrong by publicly sharing her flight path. In the words above the letter dated January 25, the college student quoted lyrics from the singer-songwriter's 2017 single, "Reputation."
"Look What You Made Me Do," he penned, as his attorney, James Slater, informed Swift via the letter that read:
"There is nothing unlawful about GRNDCTRU's use of publicly accessible information to track private jets, including those used by public figures like Taylor Swift. GRNDCTRL used the same information to track sanctioned Russian oligarchs and Elon Musk. The @taylorswiftjets account is engaged in protected speech that does not violate any of Ms. Swift's legal rights."
Slater added that Sweeney's "website only provides the location of private jets using publicly available information" and that the "information poses no threat to Ms. Swift's safety."
The response immediately got traction on X, with many going into the replies to back Sweeney up. "she just doesn't want people knowing how much pollution she is responsible for," one X user stated.
Another user shared, "I advise ms swift to dial down the greed. relax. make jam," while a third passionately declared, "Absolutely. Time to stand up against the bullies," and a fourth applauded, "I like it. Straight to the point. It would put me on the back foot if I was the team receiving this."
Look What You Made Me Do pic.twitter.com/kETxWamSP3
— Jack Sweeney (@Jxck_Sweeney) February 19, 2024
"I don't really care whether Taylor Swift's jet tracking is posted publicly, nor do I think it's probably very pleasant for her. But… you're reposting publicly available data, with no threats attached to those posts. The 1st Amendment absolutely protects that. Glad you're fighting," a fifth social media personality expressed.
Meanwhile, this person typed in Swift's defense, "What you doing is inappropriate. If it caused harm to her you'll be responsible for that. The airplane that I'm looking at it. It's Southwest Jet that says Southwest on it so I don't think that was her private jet. But who knows? But what you are doing is wrong!"
In case you missed it, Swift's attorney, Kate Wright Morrone, had accused Sweeney of "stalking and harassing" the Grammys winner by monitoring her private jet travel in the cease-and-desist mentioned above.
The letter noted the potential threat to the star's safety. It demanded that the undergraduate cease the behavior immediately, warning that failure to do so would result in the pursuit of "any and all legal remedies."
The letter partly read, "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."
Taylor Swift Recently Sold One Of Her Private Jets To A Mysterious Company
Amid the back and forth between Swift and the University of Florida student, The Blast disclosed that she sold off one of her private planes.
The craft, a Dassault Falcon 900 jet she has owned since 2009, was reportedly sold to a puzzling limited liability company [LLC] in January. The LLC — Triangle Real Estate — is said to have connections to the auto protection company CarShield.
Further investigation into Triangle Real Estate revealed its incorporation in Missouri around 2006, with Nicholas Hamilton listed as one of the company's former officers. Hamilton's significance lies in his role as the CEO of CarShield and the fact that the Federal Aviation Administration [FAA] listed the buyer's address as a CarShield call center in St. Peters, Missouri.
The connection suggests that Hamilton could be the potential new owner of Swift's Dassault Falcon 900 jet. If Hamilton is indeed the owner, it indicates a significant financial investment on his part, considering that a new Dassault Falcon 900 jet is valued at around $40 million.