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Justin Baldoni’s Attorney Provides Clarity on Earlier Lawsuit

UPDATE: 1/23/25, 5:00 p.m. ET Justin Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, has provided clarification regarding a previous lawsuit against the actor.

“In the copyright infringement case, I discovered what wonderful individuals Justin and Wayfarer are,” Freedman stated in a message to Us Weekly on Thursday, January 23. “I found out that they did nothing wrong and bear no liability at all.”

“As such, the case was resolved with no liability on Justin’s, Wayfarer’s, or any other defendant’s part,” Freedman added. “This only strengthened my belief that Justin and Wayfarer are exceptionally honorable and ethical.”

Original story follows:  

Before taking on Justin Baldoni‘s ongoing legal issues with Blake Lively, attorney Bryan Freedman was involved in another case concerning the actor.

Newly released court documents obtained by Us Weekly reveal that Freedman previously represented a client with cystic fibrosis who filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, 40, for alleged copyright infringement and breach of contract.

The client, Travis Flores, initiated a lawsuit against Baldoni and other defendants in September 2021, claiming that Baldoni’s 2019 directorial debut, Five Feet Apart, plagiarized Flores’ poignant romance screenplay titled Three Feet Distance.

“Flores kept his screenplay from Baldoni because he had a policy of keeping his work private and believed Baldoni was working on a competitive film project,” court documents stated. “However, unbeknownst to Flores, Baldoni had already sourced information about Three Feet Distance from another party. Ultimately, Baldoni’s film, titled Five Feet Apart, mirrored many elements of Three Feet Distance.”

In March 2022, Bloomberg Law reported that a federal court in Los Angeles dismissed the copyright infringement lawsuit concerning Five Feet Apart.

Us Weekly has reached out to Freedman for further comments.

Five Feet Apart, featuring Haley Lu Richardson and Cole Sprouse, delves into a romantic narrative intertwined with the real-life challenges of cystic fibrosis.

The 2019 film, which reportedly grossed $92 million against a $7 million budget, was dedicated to YouTuber Claire Wineland, who also faced cystic fibrosis and inspired Baldoni.

“I hired her as a consultant, and she tragically passed away just before I could present my director’s cut to her,” Baldoni told The Hollywood Reporter in 2019. “It’s something I continue to grapple with.”

Now, over five years after Five Feet Apart premiered, Baldoni finds himself embroiled in a different legal matter involving one of his It Ends With Us co-stars.

In December 2024, The New York Times revealed that Lively has filed a lawsuit against Baldoni for sexual harassment and for allegedly orchestrating a “social manipulation” campaign designed to tarnish her reputation.

Baldoni has denied these accusations through Freedman, who termed Lively’s claims as “entirely false, outrageous, and deliberately sensational” in a statement to Us last month.

In retaliation, the Jane the Virgin star has filed a suit against The New York Times for libel and false light invasion of privacy. A representative from The New York Times has defended the article, asserting it was “meticulously and responsibly reported.”

Baldoni and his legal team have also pursued a lawsuit against Lively for $400 million in damages, accusing her of being “determined to portray Baldoni as the real-life villain in her narrative.”

Lively’s representatives have responded to the lawsuit, stating, “It does not counter the evidence presented in Ms. Lively’s complaint, and it is destined to fail.” The actress has denied all of Baldoni’s claims.

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