Justin Baldoni's lawyer previously sued him over alleged 'Five Feet Apart' script theft

Bryan Freedman, Justin Baldoni’s lawyer, previously sued him over 'Five Feet Apart' script theft.

Justin Baldoni and his attorney Bryan Freedman were once on opposing sides of the courtroom. Before hiring Freedman, Baldoni faced legal battles with him in a case involving copyright infringement and breach of contract related to his directorial debut, Five Feet Apart, which starred Cole Sprouse and Haley Lu Richardson.

Court documents obtained by Us Weekly reveal that in September 2021, Freedman represented Travis Flores, a cystic fibrosis patient who sued Baldoni, accusing him of stealing his script, titled *Three Feet Distance*. The lawsuit alleged that Baldoni and others had copied key elements of Flores' work, despite Flores not sharing the script with Baldoni for confidentiality reasons.

The legal papers further explained that Baldoni had a separate source of inspiration for Five Feet Apart, which eventually became a film that mirrored many aspects of Three Feet Distance. However, as reported by Bloomberg Law, the copyright infringement lawsuit was dismissed by a Los Angeles federal court in March 2022.

Despite the legal tension, Baldoni went on to dedicate the film to Claire Wineland, a YouTuber who had cystic fibrosis and had worked as a consultant for the project. Wineland had chronicled her life with the condition on YouTube, and her influence was evident in the film’s heart-wrenching portrayal of the disease.

Five Feet Apart was a major commercial success, grossing $92 million on a modest budget of $7 million. When the film was released, Baldoni shared with The Hollywood Reporter that Wineland passed away just before he had the chance to show her the final director’s cut. He admitted, “It’s something I’m still dealing with.”

Last year, in recognition of Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month, Baldoni shared a heartfelt Instagram post, reflecting on his work on the film and the deep connection he had with Wineland.

"It was a labor of love that I had the honor of making with my dear friend Claire," Baldoni wrote, sharing photos of Wineland and moments from the film. He added, “Claire literally changed the course of my life. Her zest for life was infectious, and she was determined to live in a way that made herself proud. She was not amazing despite her illness. She was amazing, as she says, because of it. She taught me to make life a beautiful piece of art, and I miss her dearly.”