NEWSJustin Baldoni's Lawyer Sued Him in 2021 as Actor Was Accused of Stealing 'Five Feet Apart' Script From Screenwriter With Cystic Fibrosis
Justin Baldoni's past is coming back to haunt him.
Though Justin Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman is going to bat for him in his legal feud against It Ends With Us costar Blake Lively, the attorney filed a lawsuit against the actor in 2021 while representing screenwriter Travis Flores.
According to documents, Flores — who died at age 33 in 2024 due to complications from cystic fibrosis — accused the actor of ripping off his script for Three Feet Distance and turning it into Five Feet Apart, a romantic drama Baldoni directed in 2019.
Justin Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman once represented a client who sued the actor for allegedly stealing his script.
Flores said the script was inspired by his "own life and struggles" of living with cystic fibrosis, a genetic condition that can damage the lungs and worsens over time.
The late screenwriter claimed his project Three Feet Distance was in the works back in 2015, and the following year, the dad-of-two, 40, asked Flores to appear in the documentary My Last Days, which centered on people living with the diagnosis.
Travis Flores, a screenwriter with cystic fibrosis, claimed 'Five Feet Apart' is a rip-off of his project 'Three Feet Distance.'
However, after Flores' script about two teens with cystic fibrosis falling in love was shared with the Jane the Virgin alum through a mutual associate, Flores discovered the actor was working on an extremely similar project with his production company, Wayfarer Entertainment.
Flores also noted it wasn't just the overall theme of the movie that was stolen, as Five Feet Apart also had similar characters, as both leads had dead sisters. The flick was released in 2019 and starred Cole Sprouse and Haley Lu Richardson, who played teenaged love interests with cystic fibrosis — but due to their condition, were forced to stay physically apart since their own bacteria can contaminate the other.
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Baldoni directed 'Five Feet Apart,' which starred Cole Sprouse and Haley Lu Richardson.
The case was settled in 2022, but the terms remain sealed from the public.
Baldoni's most recent legal case involves costar Lively, 37, who sued him for sexual harassment and accused him of launching a smear campaign against her to destroy the blonde beauty's career.
The actor — the director and a star of the film — then countersued, accusing the Gossip Girl star of putting forth a smear campaign as well. He also denied the sexual harassment allegations and claimed the mom-of-four — who was a producer on the flick — constantly tried to take over on set and tweak the movie to her liking.
The lawyer who previously sued Baldoni is now representing him in his feud with Blake Lively.
He sued Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and her PR manager Leslie Sloane on claims "of civil extortion, defamation, false light invasion of privacy, breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, intentional interference with contractual relations, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage and negligent interference with prospective economic advantage."
On Monday, January 21, Freedman stated Baldoni will be putting together a website that will feature "all correspondence as well as relevant video" with Lively to prove his innocence.
