Justin Baldoni lawyer Bryan Freedman sued amid ‘It Ends With Us’ fallout

The It Ends With Us legal battle has taken another sharp turn. Bryan Freedman, the high-profile Hollywood attorney representing Justin Baldoni in his ongoing clashes with Blake Lively and others, has now been sued for malpractice. The complaint, filed on October 8 in California state court, adds a fresh layer of controversy to the already turbulent fallout surrounding the Colleen Hoover adaptation.

Freedman, who has built a reputation as one of Hollywood’s most aggressive litigators, became Baldoni’s lead counsel during the $400 million defamation case he launched earlier this year against Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and The New York Times. That case was tossed out by a federal judge in June, but legal fights surrounding It Ends With Us continue to dominate headlines.

The new malpractice suit comes from the estate of Travis Flores, a writer with cystic fibrosis who accused Baldoni and his company Wayfarer Entertainment of ripping off his script Three Feet Distance for the 2019 hit Five Feet Apart. Freedman originally represented Flores in that lawsuit, which was settled, before later switching sides to represent Baldoni. According to the filing, Flores’ husband Clement Souyri, acting as administrator of his late partner’s estate, alleges that Freedman betrayed attorney-client confidences and misrepresented the merits of Flores’ case in public statements after his death.

The lawsuit accuses Freedman of legal malpractice, invasion of privacy, and defamation, framing his decision to “trade up” from a terminally ill client to a healthier celebrity client as a breach of duty. A state bar complaint was also lodged in July, intensifying scrutiny on Freedman’s conduct.

This is not the first time Freedman has faced controversy. Known for describing himself as a “pit bull” in court, he has previously been accused of intimidation tactics against opposing counsel. His colourful legal career has seen him represent A-list clients including Vin Diesel, South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and multiple studios in billion-dollar disputes.

The malpractice allegations now threaten to overshadow his work with Baldoni, as the It Ends With Us adaptation continues to stir legal and cultural debates. Neither Freedman nor Baldoni has publicly commented on the new lawsuit.