Justin Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman sued for – Business News
Justin Baldoni’s lawyer within the $400 million legal battle with “It Ends With Us” co-star Blake Lively is being sued for malpractice, based on a new report.
Bryan Freedman – the movie star lawyer who has in contrast himself to a “pit bull” – is dealing with a civil lawsuit and a state bar grievance over his handling of one other swimsuit involving Baldoni, based on the Hollywood Reporter.
In 2021, Freedman represented a man named Travis Flores in a copyright case in opposition to Baldoni and his manufacturing firm Wayfarer.
Lawyer Bryan Freedman in February arriving at federal courtroom to argue on behalf of Justin Baldoni. Gregory P. Mango
The swimsuit alleged Baldoni stole an concept from Flores’ script “Three Feet Distance” for Baldoni’s 2019 movie “Five Feet Apart.”
The two sides settled the swimsuit in 2022.
Both scripts had been romantic tales about a couple dwelling with cystic fibrosis – a genetic, life-threatening dysfunction kind which Flores suffered. Flores died final yr at age 33 from issues associated to the illness.
Years earlier, he appeared in Baldoni’s docu-series “My Last Days” about people dwelling with terminal sicknesses to debate his prognosis.
Flores’ husband, Clement Souyri, is now alleging legal malpractice, invasion of privateness and defamation – saying Freedman “traded up” from his “seriously ill client” to Baldoni, the “healthier client,” based on a lawsuit filed Wednesday in California state courtroom.
Souyri, now the administrator of his late associate’s property, reportedly filed a formal grievance in July with the California State Bar, too. The group didn’t instantly reply a Post request for remark.
He claimed that after Flores’ death, Freedman betrayed attorney-client privilege and misrepresented Flores’ case because the lawyer defended himself within the media.
Actor and director Justin Baldoni, best recognized for his function in “Jane the Virgin.” GC Images
Attorney-client privilege survives a consumer’s death in federal courtroom, the place the unique copyright lawsuit was filed, the Hollywood Reporter famous.
In a assertion earlier this yr, Freedman touched on the Flores case as he defended his option to symbolize Baldoni, who’s best recognized for his function in “Jane the Virgin,” in his litigation in opposition to Lively.
“Over the years, I have learned what great people Justin and Wayfarer are,” Freedman mentioned in a March assertion.
“The [Flores] case was resolved without any determination of liability on Justin’s or Wayfarer or any other defendant’s part. Since then, it has been further confirmed to me that Justin and Wayfarer are exceedingly honorable and highly ethical.”
Freedman didn’t instantly reply to The Post’s request for remark.
A federal choose in June dismissed Baldoni’s defamation lawsuit in opposition to Lively, her publicist and the New York Times. Christopher Peterson / SplashNews.com
Baldoni’s $400 million defamation lawsuit in opposition to Lively, her publicist and the New York Times was tossed in June after a federal choose argued Lively’s sexual harassment claims and the newspaper’s reporting had been legally protected.
The “Gossip Girl” star accused Baldoni of sexual harassment – together with sharing undesirable particulars of his intercourse life and porn dependancy – during the filming of their romantic drama, which premiered in August 2024. She alleged Baldoni then orchestrated a smear marketing campaign in opposition to her.
The New York Times – which is now suing Baldoni for legal prices within the dropped case – revealed a detailed investigative report on Lively’s claims, in addition to her full legal grievance.
Freedman has represented celebrities like actor Kevin Spacey and singer FKA Twigs in a number of different high-profile instances, gaining a status for his aggressive method alongside the best way.
Freedman beforehand informed the Hollywood Reporter, “If you f–k with my client, you get what you get.”
The “Gossip Girl” star accused Baldoni of sexual harassment during the filming of “It Ends With Us.” ©Sony Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
The legal professional is at present representing Vin Diesel in a lawsuit accusing the actor of sexually assaulting an assistant on the set of the 2011 movie “Fast Five.”
Recent courtroom paperwork obtained by TMZ known as out Freedman for allegedly making an attempt to intimidate the plaintiff’s legal professional in that case. Lawyer Matthew Hale alleged Freedman known as him a “moron,” cursed at him and swung a fist at his face, stopping short of hitting him.
Freedman additionally just lately represented “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone during intense contract negotiations with Paramount this summer time. The show finally gained a $1.5 billion deal for streaming alone over the subsequent 5 years.
In 1991, Freedman reportedly paid $40,000 to settle an allegation he sexually assaulted a 17-year-old woman whereas he was in school, based on the Hollywood Reporter.
When requested whether or not Freedman alerted the California State Bar about that settlement, the group informed the Hollywood Reporter, “Moral character reviews are confidential.”
They declined to touch upon the bar’s 1991 requirements, however added: “We can say that today, serious allegations, including those involving sexual assault, would be given serious and appropriate consideration in the moral character review process.”
