Justin Baldoni's lawyer previously sued him for allegedly stealing a movie script from a man with cystic fibrosis
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Justin Baldoni and his attorney Bryan Freedman were previously on opposite ends of the courtroom. Prior to hiring the Los Angeles–based entertainment lawyer to represent him against his ongoing legal battle against Blake Lively, the actor, 40, faced off against Freedman in a case involving copyright infringement and breach of contract over his directorial debut, Five Feet Apart, which starred Cole Sprouse and Haley Lu Richardson.
![[Baldoni hired the Los Angeles–based entertainment lawyer (seen on November 25, 2024) to represent him against his ongoing legal battle against Blake Lively]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/23/04/94420087-14315939-image-a-73_1737607407159.jpg)
According to court documents, viewed by Us Weekly, 'Freedman previously represented a person with cystic fibrosis who sued Baldoni' in September 2021. Freedman’s client, Travis Flores, claimed that Baldoni and other defendants 'ripped off' his script, titled Three Feet Distance.
![[The actor, 40, faced off against Freedman in a case involving copyright infringement and breach of contract over his directorial debut, Five Feet Apart, which starred Cole Sprouse and Haley Lu Richardson (Baldoni pictured with Sprouse and Richardson in 2019)]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/23/04/94419965-14315939-image-a-56_1737606582455.jpg)
'Flores kept his screenplay from Baldoni both because Flores had a policy of keeping his work confidential and because Baldoni was working on the feature film project that Flores viewed as competitive,' the legal papers read. 'Unbeknownst to Flores, however, Baldoni already had a different source to provide him with information about Three Feet Distance. As it turned out, Baldoni’s film — which became titled Five Feet Apart — would copy numerous elements of Three Feet Distance.'.
![[The movie was a box office hit, earning an impressive $92 million on a $7 million budget]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/23/04/94419967-14315939-image-a-57_1737606587932.jpg)
Ultimately, as reported by Bloomberg Law, the copyright infringement lawsuit over the film was dismissed by a federal court in Los Angeles in March 2022. Justin Baldoni and his attorney Bryan Freedman were previously on opposite ends of the courtroom; seen in 2019.
![[Baldoni dedicated the film, Five Feet Apart, to YouTuber Claire Wineland (pictured between the actor and his wife Emily), who was a paid consultant on the film and chronicled her life with cystic fibrosis in a series of honest YouTube videos.]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/23/04/94419977-14315939-Baldoni_dedicated_the_film_Five_Feet_Apart_to_YouTuber_Claire_Wi-a-66_1737607234198.jpg)
