Chanel Maya Banks, Gossip Girl Actress, Gets Restraining Order Against Family Following Report of Disappearance

Chanel Maya Banks has filed a restraining order against both her mother and cousin after they reported her missing just one month earlier.

The former Gossip Girl star, aged 36, was discovered by the police in Texas shortly after her family reported her missing. Despite this, she has been active on social media asserting that she was not actually missing.

In court documents obtained by Us Weekly, Banks filed a temporary restraining order against her cousin Danielle-Tori Singh on Thursday.

She additionally filed a civil harassment restraining order against her cousin and mother, Lutchmin Judy Kumar.

Chanel stated in official documents that her mother and cousin had collaborated to harass her and spread falsehoods with the intention of damaging her reputation and career.

Additionally, the actress accused her mother and cousin of fabricating the missing person report from the previous month, alleging that they had falsely accused her husband of one year, Carlos, of being involved in her potential murder.

Chanel Maya Banks, 36, has filed a restraining order against both her mother and cousin after they reported her missing just one month earlier

‘They orchestrated this scheme in order to humiliate me publicly and ruin my professional acting career,’ she alleged. 

Banks also claimed that on November 10, her mother and cousin broke in and ‘burglarized’ her apartment when she had been away. 

She additionally claimed that the pair stole her husband’s work badge and placed an Apple AirTag on her vehicle in order to follow her whereabouts.  

The star – who attempted to distance herself from her family in October – then alleged that they ‘assaulted’ her husband and caused ‘visible injuries on his face and neck.’ 

However, sources informed TMZ that Carlos already had marks on his body before Lutchmin and Danielle entered her apartment last month. 

Banks claimed that she filed police reports following the alleged incidents. 

Along with claiming that they accused her husband of murder, she also alleged that both her mother and cousin wanted to put her on a 5150 psychiatric hold. 

The Blue Bloods actress further alleged in the documents that the pair also sent text messages where they threatened to ‘weaponize the police’ against her. 

In court documents obtained by Us Weekly, Banks filed a temporary restraining order against her cousin Danielle-Tori Singh on Thursday; Chanel’s mother and cousin seen above in November

‘They orchestrated this scheme in order to humiliate me publicly and ruin my professional acting career,’ she alleged

Chanel is requesting that the court prevent Kumar and Singh from contacting her – and has also asked that they stop talking about her publicly. 

It comes shortly after the actress’s family insisted she has been ‘brainwashed’ by a Christian cult.

When she was initially discovered, Banks said she was fleeing her family to be baptized by doomsday Pastor Robert Clancey, who had recently advertised a three-day ‘end times prophetic gathering’ in Texas and claimed her family had abused her. 

In turn, her loved ones bizarrely claimed claimed she was being imitated by an imposter online.

In a press conference in LA last month, her mother and cousin slammed the abuse claims as ‘false’ and claimed the actress was being held against her will in the Christian group – before breaking down in tears.

Banks proved she wasn’t missing in dramatic fashion by sharing a YouTube video teasing an upcoming tell-all interview on her ‘toxic’ family. 

In an apparent attempt to disprove the claims, Banks shared a YouTube reel of herself preparing to speak about the strange saga, telling fans: ‘As you can see, I am alive.’

‘Interview loading,’ she added while gazing at the camera in a full face of makeup.

Banks also updated her Instagram bio to say: ‘I AM NOT MISSING. I just want to be free of a toxic woman and her family. INTERVIEW INCOMING.’

The star – who attempted to distance herself from her family in October – then alleged that they ‘assaulted’ her husband and caused ‘visible injuries on his face and neck’

Following a two-week search for the star, who played Sawyer Bennett in Gossip Girl, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) located a 36-year-old in Texas, claiming they had found the actress unharmed.

Singh previously took to her Instagram stories to share: ‘I have the still from Texas PD body cam footage that was shown to us on Monday Nov 11 at the Pacific Police Station in LA.’

‘This is the woman they’re telling us is Chanel. We have told them this is not Chanel. They didn’t listen to us and closed the case.’

‘That’s why @ohhheychanel won’t post a video saying she’s safe because it’s not Chanel,’ Singh wrote, after flying in from Toronto to help with the search.

Singh previously said LAPD’s update was ‘fake news’ and that the woman they found and claimed to be Banks is an ‘imposter.’ She added that she will continue distributing ‘Missing Persons’ flyers, ABC7 reported. 

It comes after Banks took to social media with a statement in which she made the series of strong allegations against her family.

It was not immediately clear if Banks penned the posts herself on the account, which is verified and has made a total of 70 posts in more than three-and-a-half years,’ per KTLA.  

She purportedly said on the social media site: ‘My name is Chanel Banks I’m a 36 year old American nobody,’ adding her family members ‘are all so very “concerned” about my current whereabouts.’

Banks, who also appeared on a 2010 episode of Blue Bloods, acknowledged that she had spoken with law enforcement amid the probe into her alleged vanishing.

In a press conference in LA last month, her mother and cousin slammed the abuse claims as ‘false’ and claimed the actress was being held against her will in the Christian group – before breaking down in tears

It comes after Banks took to social media with a statement in which she made the series of strong allegations against her family

‘I have met with the police and verified that not only am I okay, but I’m finally free from my … family,’ Banks said.

She alluded to her religious faith as a factor in why she had cut off contact with some of her relatives.

‘They say, once you’re free in Christ Jesus, you’re free indeed, so I told my husband six days ago I was going to get baptized by one of my favorite pastors Pastor Robert Clancy,’ Banks wrote. ‘He drove me to the airport and then I was off for a week.’

She continued, ‘God said: “I’m going to give you some money and I was shocked when it appeared just like He said!”

Banks said God told her to move, so she took a first-class flight ‘to the Promise Land.’

The actress also said she was ‘releasing a clarion call to those in high places who still have a soul and want to keep it in such a time as this. Reach out. Help me.’

Banks said she ‘found out hours before leaving’ that some of her relatives ‘were vehemently pursuing a CONSERVATORSHIP [i.e.] complete legal control.’

She added that ‘there will be no more lies’ and that ‘everything in the darkness must come to light … thus says the Lord.’

Banks said she ‘found out hours before leaving’ that some of her relatives ‘were vehemently pursuing a CONSERVATORSHIP [i.e.] complete legal control’; seen above in Gossip Girl 

However, Chanel seemingly has been moving on and one day before filing the restraining orders, she jumped to her Instagram account to celebrate the holidays on Wednesday

‘And we love you and we hope that you have a wonderful, wonderful holiday shared with those that you love,’ she said, while her husband added, ‘It’s the best feeling in the world’

Banks ended her statement in saying: ‘PLEASE DO NOT DONATE TO ANY GO FUND ME THAT SAYS I’M MISSING I AM NOT MISSING.’

Relatives of the actress had previously reported her missing, claiming her husband Carlos Jimenez hadn’t been helping them in their search.

Police subsequently said that Banks, a resident of Playa Vista, California, had been located unharmed in Texas and that no foul play was suspected in the now-closed case.

Banks’ family claims they last heard from her on October 30 when she texted her cousin Danielle-Tori Singh, who was leading the fundraiser for her urgent return.

However, Chanel seemingly has been moving on and one day before filing the restraining orders, she jumped to her Instagram account to celebrate the holidays on Wednesday.

In a short clip, both she and her husband Carlos could be seen sitting in front of a decorated Christmas tree while wearing festive attire. 

While gazing towards the camera, Banks expressed, ‘We just wanted to say Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukah! Because it’s on the same day this year.’ 

‘And we love you and we hope that you have a wonderful, wonderful holiday shared with those that you love,’ she said, while her husband added, ‘It’s the best feeling in the world.’

The video concluded as they both shared a kiss and said ‘I love you’ to each other as the tune Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas by Kenny G softly played in the background.