Justin Baldoni. Darla Khazei/INSTARimages
Earlier than representing Justin Baldoni in his ongoing authorized battle with Blake Energetic, legal professional Bryan Freedman discovered himself concerned in a separate case involving the actor.
Based on newly surfaced courtroom paperwork considered by Us Weekly, Freedman beforehand represented an individual with cystic fibrosis who sued Baldoni, 40, for alleged copyright infringement and breach of contract.
Freedman’s shopper, Travis Flores, sued Baldoni and different defendants in September 2021 claiming the actor’s 2019 directorial debut, 5 Toes Aside, ripped off Flores’ personal tear-jerking romance script titled Three Toes Distance.
“Flores saved his screenplay from Baldoni each as a result of Flores had a coverage of maintaining his work confidential and since Baldoni was engaged on the function movie venture that Flores considered as aggressive,” courtroom paperwork acknowledged. “Unbeknownst to Flores, nevertheless, Baldoni already had a special supply to offer him with details about Three Toes Distance. Because it turned out, Baldoni’s movie — which turned titled 5 Toes Aside — would copy quite a few components of Three Toes Distance.”
UPDATE 1/16/25 at 12:43 p.m. ET: Justin Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios filed a $400 million lawsuit in opposition to It Ends With Us costar Blake Energetic and her publicist, Leslie Sloane, on Thursday, January 16. Within the 179-page submitting obtained by Us Weekly, Baldoni claimed that Energetic was “decided” to make him a “real-life villain in her story.” […]
In March 2022, Bloomberg Legislation reported {that a} copyright infringement lawsuit over 5 Toes Aside was dismissed by a federal courtroom in Los Angeles.
Us Weekly has reached out to Freedman for remark.
5 Toes Aside, starring Haley Lu Richardson and Cole Sprouse, explores a love story and the actual ache and wrestle of cystic fibrosis.
The 2019 movie, which reportedly earned $92 million on a $7 million funds, was devoted to YouTuber Claire Wineland, one other particular person with cystic fibrosis who left Baldoni impressed.
“I employed her as a guide and he or she sadly handed away simply earlier than I might present her my director’s lower,” Baldoni instructed The Hollywood Reporter in 2019. “It’s one thing I’m nonetheless coping with.”
Greater than 5 years after 5 Toes Aside was launched, Baldoni now finds himself in one other authorized scenario with considered one of his It Ends With Us costars.
In December 2024, the New York Occasions broke the information that Energetic sued Baldoni for sexual harassment and for allegedly launching a “social manipulation” marketing campaign in opposition to her to “destroy” her repute.
Baldoni has denied the allegations by way of Freedman, who referred to as Energetic’s accusations “utterly false, outrageous and deliberately salacious” in an announcement to Us final month.
Blake Energetic and Justin Baldoni’s reported rift made headlines months earlier than the It Ends With Us costars filed lawsuits. Whereas Energetic and Baldoni promoted the movie in August 2024, rumors started swirling of an alleged feud between the pair. Followers seen that Energetic was selling the film with a few of her costars whereas Baldoni, who […]
The Jane the Virgin actor has since sued the New York Occasions for libel and false gentle invasion of privateness. (A New York Occasions spokesperson stood by the story saying it was “meticulously and responsibly reported.”)
Baldoni and his authorized group additionally sued Energetic for $400 million in damages and accused the actress of being “decided to make Baldoni the real-life villain in her story.”
Energetic’s group responded to the go well with, saying, “It doesn’t refute the proof in Ms. Energetic’s grievance, and it’ll fail.” The actress has denied all of Baldoni’s allegations.
