Bryan Freedman, Justin Baldoni's high-profile attorney, is facing a civil suit and state bar complaint over his handling of a legal matter connected to Baldoni.
The complaint alleges Freedman engaged in legal malpractice, invasion of privacy, and defamation.
In 2021, Freedman represented Travis Flores, a man with cystic fibrosis who claimed Baldoni's directorial debut Five Feet Apart was a rip-off of his script Three Feet Distance.
Both projects were romances about couples living with the progressive genetic disease.
"Over the years, I have learned what great people Justin and Wayfarer are," Freedman said, justifying his decision to represent Baldoni. Flores' husband, Clement Souyri, filed a formal complaint with the California State Bar's Office of Trial Counsel, accusing Freedman of "trading up" from Flores to Baldoni.
The lawsuit, filed on October 8, alleges Freedman betrayed attorney-client confidences and misrepresented Flores' case in the media. Freedman did not immediately return a request for comment.
This controversy adds to Freedman's history of aggressive behaviour. In June, a federal judge dismissed Baldoni's $400 million defamation lawsuit against Blake Lively, her publicist, and The New York Times.
Freedman has built a reputation as one of Hollywood's most prominent litigators, involved in high-profile cases like the multibillion-dollar contract negotiations between Paramount and South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
