Five Feet Apart - Price Prediction

Justin Baldoni‘s lawyer wasn’t always on his side.

Bryan Freedman, who is currently handling the legal disputes of the director and actor from “It Ends With Us,” was previously employed in a 2021 case involving screenwriter Travis Flores. In this case, Flores accused actor-director Baldoni of plagiarizing his script “Three Feet Distance” to create his 2019 movie debut “Five Feet Apart,” starring Cole Sprouse and Haley Lu Richardson.

According to a report from TopMob News on January 22nd, Freedman has been appointed as Flores’ lawyer in a filing that alleges Baldoni took Flores’ movie concept, which was based on his own life experiences and battles with cystic fibrosis – a genetic disease he’s had since he was just four months old.

As a lifestyle expert, I recently learned from my sources that back in 2015, Eric Baldoni, a well-known figure in the entertainment industry, came across the captivating script for “Three Feet Distance,” a heartwarming tale about young lovers battling cystic fibrosis. This thought-provoking piece had been circulated among industry peers by a mutual associate we both know.

Interestingly enough, it turns out that Baldoni was already working on a similar project with his production company, Wayfarer Entertainment. The plot revolved around two teenagers grappling with the same debilitating disease. Quite the coincidence, wouldn’t you agree?

A year after, as stated in the lawsuit, Baldoni requested Flores to feature in his self-produced and hosted docuseries titled “My Last Days”, a series that narrated the tales of numerous young individuals battling terminal illnesses. Eventually, Flores, who tragically passed away in 2024 at the age of 33 due to disease complications, was part of the 2016 documentary.

Apart from sharing the title “Five Feet Apart” and a broad narrative, Flores claimed that Baldoni additionally copied detailed plot points, characters, and themes from his script. For instance, he pointed out that both main characters have deceased sisters and both narratives emphasize the importance of living in the present moment.

The document filed in 2021 states that the resemblances between these two pieces go way beyond what was previously mentioned, and there are various similarities, some seemingly minor like both main characters being introduced wearing a V-neck T-shirt initially. However, other similarities hold more weight in the progression of the works as a whole.

Ever since Flores made those allegations against him, Justin hasn’t publicly commented on them. But, as reported by TopMob News using obtained documents, Freedman filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit in March 2022. As per The Hollywood Reporter, the case was eventually settled.

TopMob News attempted to contact representatives from Baldoni, Wayfarer Entertainment, and Freedman for a response, however, there has been no reply as of yet.

Approximately two years following the dismissal of Flores’ case, Freedman shared reasons behind his decision to assist Baldoni in his prolonged legal dispute with Lively.

During his interview on The Megyn Kelly Show on January 7th, Freedman emphasized that their approach would be thoroughly backed by evidence, rather than simply a lawsuit. Instead, it will involve a large amount of evidence, confessions, and documentation.

For a complete timeline of Justin and Blake’s ongoing legal battle, keep reading.

Four months post the big-screen rendition of Colleen Hoover’s novel “It Ends With Us”, I, as an ardent fan, found out on Dec 20th that Blake Lively had lodged a complaint with California’s Civil Rights Department (CRD), as reported by The New York Times. In the complaint acquired by TopMob News, her costar Justin Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios, its CEO Jamey Heath, co-founder Steve Sarowitz, Baldoni’s publicist Jennifer Abel, her company RWA Communications, crisis communications specialist Melissa Nathan, her firm The Agency Group PR LLC (TAG), contractor Jed Wallace and his company Street Relations Inc were named as defendants.

Lively claimed in her complaint that Baldoni and Wayfarer associates had embarked on a complex press and digital campaign in retaliation for her expressing concerns about alleged misconduct on set. She stated that she, along with other cast and crew members, “endured invasive, unwelcome, unprofessional, and sexually inappropriate behavior” by Baldoni and Heath.

The actress further asserted that this alleged campaign against her caused significant harm to her both personally and professionally. The charges listed in the complaint include sexual harassment; retaliation; failure to investigate, prevent and/or remedy harassment; aiding and abetting harassment and retaliation; breach of contract; intentional infliction of emotional distress; negligence; false light invasion of privacy and interference with prospective economic advantage.

The following day, The New York Times released an article detailing a suspected counterattack smear operation carried out by Baldoni and his allies against Lively. This report referenced her CRD complaint, with excerpts from messages sent by Baldoni, Abel (his publicist), and Nathan (crisis communications specialist) being quoted. The newspaper’s article also allowed readers to access court documents related to the case on their website. In a statement given to the outlet, Lively expressed her hope that her legal action would expose such underhanded tactics meant to harm those who speak against misconduct and safeguard others facing similar targeting.

Following the disclosure of Lively’s complaint, Bryan Freedman – attorney for Baldoni, Wayfarer, and their representatives – forcefully denied Lively’s allegations. In a statement on The New York Times website, he expressed disappointment that Lively and her representatives would make such severe and factually incorrect accusations against Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their representatives. He considered this as another desperate attempt by Lively to improve her negative reputation stemming from her own comments and actions related to the film’s campaign; remarks and interviews that were visible to the public in real-time and unedited, allowing for the internet to form its opinions. Freedman deemed these claims to be entirely false, excessively outrageous, and intentionally sensational with the purpose of causing harm and perpetuating a media narrative.

Furthermore, Freedman defended Wayfarer’s decision to engage a crisis manager, stating that this was done prior to the marketing campaign for the movie. Later on, he explained that the representatives of Wayfarer Studios took no proactive measures or retaliation, but merely responded to incoming media inquiries to guarantee balanced and accurate reporting and monitored social activity. Significantly absent from the selectively presented correspondence, Freedman noted, was evidence of a lack of proactive measures taken with the media or otherwise; only internal strategic discussions and private communication were evident – which is standard practice among public relations professionals.

After the publication of an article in The New York Times on December 21, William Morris Endeavor (WME) ended its association with Baldoni. Ari Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor, the parent company, confirmed this to the outlet. However, it’s important to note that WME refuted claims made by Ryan Reynolds, Lively’s husband, regarding his involvement in their separation from Baldoni. These allegations were later made in a lawsuit filed against The New York Times (more on that below). In response to these claims, WME stated to The Hollywood Reporter on January 1 that “In Baldoni’s filing there is a claim that Reynolds pressured Baldoni’s agent at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere. This is not true.” They further clarified that Baldoni’s former representative was not present at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere, and neither Reynolds nor Lively ever applied pressure to drop Baldoni as a client at any point in time.

After Lively’s CRD filing and an article in The New York Times, several well-known personalities expressed their support for her allegations against Baldoni. Among them was the author of ‘It Ends With Us’, Hoover.

On Instagram Stories on December 21, Hoover wrote: “Blake Lively, you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met. Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt.”

Jenny Slate, who portrayed Baldoni’s character Ryle’s sister, also expressed her backing for Lively. On December 23, she issued a statement to Today: “As Blake Lively’s castmate and friend, I voice my support as she takes action against those reported to have planned and carried out an attack on her reputation. Blake is a leader, loyal friend and a trusted source of emotional support for me and so many who know and love her.”

Slate further added: “What has been revealed about the attack on Blake is terribly dark, disturbing, and wholly threatening. I commend my friend, I admire her bravery, and I stand by her side.”

Additionally, Brandon Sklenar, a love interest for Lively’s character Lily Bloom, shared a screenshot of the complaint published on The New York Times’ website and linked to the outlet, writing “For the love of God read this.”

Lastly, Lively’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants costars America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, and Amber Tamblyn wrote that they stand with her in solidarity.

Liz Plank recently informed her followers on Instagram that she is no longer co-hosting “The Man Enough Podcast”. She expressed gratitude for the trust and stories shared by listeners, stating that she will miss them dearly. Despite not revealing the reasons behind her departure, it occurred shortly after a complaint made against her co-host, Baldoni, and Wayfarer associates. Plank reaffirmed her commitment to the values they built together and emphasized the importance of creating a better environment for everyone involved. She promised to share more details soon as she processes the situation, and pledged continued support for those who speak out against injustice.

In a lawsuit filed on December 24th in New York, Stephanie Jones and her agency Jonesworks LLC accused Baldoni, his company Wayfarer, his current publicist Abel, and crisis communications specialist Nathan of colluding to harm Jones’ reputation over several months. The complaint alleges that they breached contracts, induced breaches, stole clients, and orchestrated a smear campaign against Baldoni’s film co-star, using the situation to create discord between Jones and Baldoni, while falsely blaming Jones for the campaign when she had no involvement. Abel, who previously worked at Jonesworks until last summer, is accused of shifting blame onto Jones now that their own misconduct has been exposed, defaming, and attacking her in the industry. The suit also claims that Baldoni and Wayfarer, who are no longer Jones’ clients, violated their contractual obligations with Jonesworks and refused to settle the dispute privately through arbitration. TopMob News reached out to the defendants for comment.

According to a report published by Variety on December 23, Lively’s legal team stated they obtained the texts mentioned in The New York Times article through a subpoena sent to Jonesworks. Freedman, who represents Nathan, Abel, Baldoni, and his Wayfarer associates, further explained that none of his clients were summoned regarding this matter, and he plans to take legal action against Jones for disclosing messages from Abel’s phone to Lively’s lawyers.

31st December saw a lawsuit filed by Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, Nathan, TAG, Abel, RWA Communications, Wallace, and Street Relations against The New York Times. In this lawsuit, TopMob News reports that The New York Times is accused of libel, false light invasion of privacy, promissory fraud, and breach of implied-in-fact contract regarding an article about a supposed retaliatory smear campaign the plaintiffs allegedly conducted against Lively following her concerns about misconduct on set.

The lawsuit claims that the report was untrue and based solely on Lively’s complaint to CRD, denying the accusations made in the article and stating that messages cited were taken out of context. The lawsuit further states that while The New York Times claimed to have reviewed these documents thoroughly, they primarily relied on Lively’s unverified narrative, disregarding evidence contradicting her claims and exposing her true motives.

The plaintiffs also allege that it was actually Lively who engaged in a calculated smear campaign, an allegation she has denied. In response, The New York Times stated they plan to “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.” They added that their story was carefully and responsibly reported, based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails accurately quoted in the article.

On that very day, I chose to bring a legal action against Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, It Ends With Us Movie LLC, Nathan, his company TAG, and Abel in New York. As stated in the court documents obtained by TopMob News, I am accusing these parties of sexual harassment, retaliation, failing to investigate and remedy such actions, aiding and abetting harassment and retaliation, breach of contract, intentionally causing emotional distress, negligently inflicting emotional distress, and invading my privacy through false light.

The claims made in the lawsuit were initially detailed in the CRD complaint I filed earlier that month. In response to this lawsuit, Baldoni and his associates have taken action against The New York Times—where I am not a defendant—and my lawyers have issued a statement to TopMob stating, “Regarding this lawsuit, nothing alters the claims made in Ms. Lively’s administrative complaint against Wayfarer and others. Contrary to their assertion, my choice to file an administrative complaint was not a tactic to avoid filing a lawsuit against Baldoni and Wayfarer, and litigation was indeed my ultimate goal.” My lawyers further clarified that the premise of this lawsuit—that I had no intention of taking legal action against Baldoni and Wayfarer—is false.

In their lawsuit against The New York Times, Baldoni and his colleagues have indicated that they are not finished with their legal actions. According to court documents, there are more individuals involved in the wrongdoing, and it is clear that this will not be the only lawsuit they file. In a January 2 interview with NBC News, Baldoni’s attorney Freedman confirmed that they do intend to sue Lively as well.

The headlines regarding Baldoni and Lively haven’t ceased, with some social media users hypothesizing that Reynolds ridiculed Baldoni in his film Deadpool & Wolverine through the character Nicepool.

Reynolds has yet to address these speculations publicly; however, Baldoni’s lawyer Freedman has shared his thoughts on the matter. During an interview on The Megyn Kelly Show and posted to YouTube on January 7th, Freedman stated:

“In my opinion, if your wife is sexually harassed, you don’t make fun of Justin Baldoni. You don’t make light of the situation. Instead, you take it seriously. You file complaints with HR, raise the issue, and follow legal procedures. What you shouldn’t do is to mock the person and turn it into a joke.

In their recent statement, Ms. Lively’s legal team clarified that the ongoing lawsuit against Wayfarer Entertainment is not a petty dispute over creative differences, but rather a case of severe sexual harassment and retaliation, supported by substantial evidence. They emphasized that this isn’t a “he said/she said” situation, as alleged in Ms. Lively’s complaint, and as they will demonstrate in court, Wayfarer Entertainment and its associates engaged in unlawful, retaliatory astroturfing against her for standing up for herself and others on set. The lawyers also warned that since the lawsuit was filed, there have been more attempts to attack Ms. Lively.

They urged everyone to remember that sexual harassment and retaliation are illegal in all workplaces and industries. They cautioned against common tactics to deflect accusations of this nature, such as blaming the victim or suggesting that the offender is actually the victim. The lawyers further stated that such concepts serve to normalize and trivialize serious misconduct allegations. Lastly, they emphasized that media statements are not a defense in Ms. Lively’s case and reaffirmed their commitment to pursuing her claims in court.

On January 16th in New York, Baldoni, Heath, Wayfarer, publicist Abel, crisis communication specialist Nathan, and It Ends With Us Movie LLC filed a lawsuit against Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane (Lively’s publicist), and Sloane’s firm Vision PR.

The lawsuit alleges that all defendants are guilty of civil extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy under false light. Specifically, Lively and Reynolds are accused of breaching the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, as well as intentionally interfering with contractual relations, gaining economic advantage, and negligently interfering with prospective economic advantage.

The plaintiffs refute Lively’s claims of sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign against her. Instead, they allege that she took control of It Ends With Us and collaborated with Reynolds, Sloane, Jones, and others to damage the plaintiffs’ reputation in the press after facing criticism for her film marketing tactics. (Lively stated in her filings that she promoted the movie according to Sony’s marketing plan.)

In the lawsuit, plaintiffs claim that defendants collaborated with The New York Times to publish a sensational news story, which turned out to be untrue. Despite this, the media outlet maintains its stance on the report. As part of a statement given to TopMob, Freedman stated that either Blake Lively was deceived by her team or she deliberately misrepresented the truth.

In a statement to TopMob News, Lively’s legal team referred to his lawsuit as “just another instance of the manipulation tactics often used by abusers,” stating, “This scenario is all too familiar: A woman presents solid proof of sexual misconduct and retaliation, and the perpetrator tries to shift the blame onto the victim. Experts refer to this as DARVO – Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim Offender.

Additionally, she alleged that he responded by counterattacking after she leveled accusations towards him, asserting that Baldoni is attempting to divert attention away from the claim that Lively took over creative control and estranged the cast from Mr. Baldoni. (or) She also claimed that he reacted by striking back when she pointed fingers at him, suggesting that Baldoni is trying to deflect blame from the assertion that Lively assumed creative control and distanced the cast from Mr. Baldoni.

It’s clear from the information presented,” it went on, “that both the cast and others encountered unfavorable interactions with Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer. Moreover, it will be demonstrated that Sony requested Ms. Lively to supervise their portion of the film, which they subsequently chose for distribution and proved to be a significant hit.

Her team went on to slam Baldoni’s reaction to her allegations of harassment.

In simpler terms, their defense against sexual harassment accusations was to blame her for wanting it and claim that what happened was due to her clothing choices. However, as her lawyers explained, this tactic of shifting blame onto the victim is weak, irrelevant to the evidence presented in Ms. Lively’s complaint, and ultimately unsuccessful. In essence, while the victim is concerned with the abuse, the abuser is focused on the victim herself.

In a disclosure, Baldoni’s lawyer shared exclusive footage from the set of ‘It Ends With Us‘, stating that the actor’s behavior on camera directly contradicts Ms. Lively’s portrayal of him.

According to Baldoni’s lawyers, the particular sequence aimed to depict the blossoming romance between the two characters, as they yearned for physical proximity. It’s evident that both performers were acting appropriately and professionally within the context of the scene, showing mutual respect throughout.

In a different wording, Lively’s lawyers argue that the video completely supports the account given by Ms. Lively in her lawsuit, claiming that each part of it was spontaneously acted out by Mr. Baldoni without any prior conversation or agreement.

According to their statement, the video depicts Ms. Lively pulling back and persistently requesting that the characters converse instead of acting inappropriately. This situation is likely to resonate with any woman who has experienced uncomfortable situations at work.

In simpler terms, the couple wrote to the judge managing their case, asking for Freedman, who leads Baldoni’s legal team, to be subjected to a restraining order that would prevent him from speaking publicly during the court process to ensure there is no inappropriate behavior.

2025-01-23 07:48

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