That Time Justin Baldoni’s Current Lawyer Actually Sued Him Once Before (And His Debut Movie Five Feet Apart Was Involved)

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As a devoted cinema enthusiast, you might have caught wind of the legal battles between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively’s camps (with Ryan Reynolds thrown into the mix). The back-and-forth accusations have certainly stirred up quite a buzz. While these lawsuits navigate their way through the court system, many film fans like myself can’t help but wonder about the enigmatic figure behind the director’s chair of It Ends with Us, especially given his relatively low public profile compared to Lively and her husband Reynolds. Fresh revelations have surfaced about Baldoni, as well as the legal eagle he’s brought on board to guide him in the forthcoming proceedings.

Who Is Justin Baldoni’s Lawyer?

Baldoni enlisted Bryan Freedman, often referred to by Variety as one of the most contentious lawyers in the entertainment industry, to handle his defamation case against The New York Times and another lawsuit he initiated against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds following their decision to withdraw their own suit. Freedman was brought onboard to manage these legal matters for Baldoni.

If you’ve been following the ongoing legal issues related to these cases, Freedman made his appearance earlier this week. Now, Lively’s lawyers are attempting to instate a “confidentiality order”. They accuse Freedman of inappropriate behavior because he has consistently supported his client’s stance in recent days. In fact, he has taken an aggressive approach and previously dismissed the lawsuit filed by the lead actress of It Ends with Us as filled with “unfounded accusations”, claiming that her legal team only has one last desperate move left.

It appears now that Baldoni may not have met Bryan Freedman for the first time in this instance, since fresh information on an earlier lawsuit involving both parties has emerged.

Bryan Freedman Once Actually Sued Justin Baldoni Over Another Incident Involving His First Movie 5 Feet Apart

Baldoni was likely able to tackle It Ends with Us successfully because he did a great job with the emotional drama Five Feet Apart, which gained popularity during its 2019 release. This film, featuring Cole Sprouse and Haley Lu Richardsons, also had its share of controversies.

In 2021, Bryan Freedman reportedly took legal action against the team behind the film “Five Feet Apart”, alleging that they had stolen a script written by one of his clients who was featured in a documentary called “My Last Days”. This client had previously penned a script titled “Three Feet Distance” which, it was said, was with a company linked to Universal. It was claimed that Baldoni, the producer of “My Last Days”, had access to “Three Feet Distance” and Freedman’s then-client sued him for having a similar idea. However, the dispute seemed to have been resolved out of court, as Freedman filed a motion to dismiss the case in 2022.

Currently, they are collaborating to counter accusations made by Lively that involve a supposed “defamatory campaign” and what Freedman refers to as “distasteful sexual accusations” against his client. Following this, he filed a lawsuit against the actress for an amount of $400 million. However, Lively’s legal team denies this situation is a “dispute.

In the meantime, Lively’s lawsuit has brought attention to certain production problems with “It Ends with Us” that weren’t solely Justin Baldoni’s fault. The exchanges between the two parties have remained heated, and it remains to be seen whether these legal issues will be resolved promptly or if they’ll end up in a courtroom.

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2025-01-23 18:07