Sabrina Carpenter Granted 5-Year Restraining Order Against Stalker

A Court Steps In to Protect the Pop Star

Sabrina Carpenter has won formal legal protection from a man accused of repeatedly turning up at her home. According to CBS News Los Angeles, Judge David Wasserman granted the singer a five-year restraining order against 31-year-old William Applegate, ruling that there was "clear and convincing evidence" he understood his conduct would cause a reasonable person "substantial emotional distress."

The decision marks the end of a months-long ordeal for one of pop's most visible young stars. CBS reports that Applegate began visiting Carpenter's Los Angeles home in April 2026, with the pattern escalating until he appeared uninvited at her front door on May 23. In granting the order, the judge concluded that the behavior was likely to continue without the court's intervention, the kind of finding that underpins long-term protective orders.

What the Restraining Order Covers

The protections extend well beyond Carpenter herself. Per CBS News Los Angeles, the order also shields her sister, Sarah Carpenter, and her sister's partner, George Smith, both of whom live with the singer. That broader scope reflects how stalking cases are frequently treated by the courts, since the threat posed to a public figure often spills over onto the family members and household sharing their space.

Under the terms reported by CBS, the order requires that:

• Applegate stay at least 100 yards away from Carpenter, her protected relatives, and their Hollywood) Hills home, workplace-miscarriage) and vehicle.
• He is barred from contacting any of the protected individuals through any means.
• The protections remain in effect for five years.

Violating any of those conditions would expose Applegate to arrest, giving Carpenter and her household concrete legal recourse rather than relying solely on private security measures.

A Hearing That Took a Strange Turn

The courtroom proceedings themselves were unusual. CBS reports that Applegate, who represented himself rather than retaining an attorney, claimed during the hearing that he and Carpenter were both part of a "classified military government program" and that the two of them needed to be together in order to "save the world."

Such claims are not uncommon in stalking cases, where fixations are sometimes rooted in elaborate, unfounded beliefs about a connection to the target. In this instance, the judge was unpersuaded, determining that Applegate's conduct clearly met the legal threshold for a long-term protective order regardless of the reasoning he offered.

A Reflection of Broader Safety Concerns

For Carpenter, the ruling brings a measure of closure to a frightening situation that had intensified over several weeks. It also lands against a wider backdrop of concern about the safety of high-profile entertainers, who increasingly find themselves contending with individuals who fixate on them and attempt to breach the boundaries of their private lives. Restraining orders have become one of the primary tools artists rely on in those circumstances, alongside private security and tightened control over personal information.

While a court order cannot eliminate the underlying risk, it gives Carpenter and the relatives living with her enforceable protection and a clear legal path forward should Applegate attempt to make contact again. According to CBS News Los Angeles, the five-year term ensures that those safeguards will remain in place well into the future, offering the singer and her household a measure of stability after an unsettling stretch.