Justin Baldoni's lawyer previously sued him for allegedly stealing a movie script from a man with cystic fibrosis

Justin Baldoni and his attorney Bryan Freedman were antecedently connected other ends of the courtroom. 

Prior to hiring the Los Angeles–based amusement lawyer to correspond him against his ongoing ineligible conflict against Blake Lively, the actor, 40, faced disconnected against Freedman successful a lawsuit involving copyright infringement and breach of declaration implicit his directorial debut, Five Feet Apart, which starred Cole Sprouse and Haley Lu Richardson.

According to tribunal documents, viewed by Us Weekly, 'Freedman antecedently represented a idiosyncratic with cystic fibrosis who sued Baldoni' in September 2021. 

Freedman’s client, Travis Flores, claimed that Baldoni and different defendants 'ripped off' his script, titled Three Feet Distance. 

'Flores kept his screenplay from Baldoni some due to the fact that Flores had a argumentation of keeping his enactment confidential and due to the fact that Baldoni was moving connected the diagnostic movie task that Flores viewed arsenic competitive,' the ineligible papers read. 'Unbeknownst to Flores, however, Baldoni already had a antithetic root to supply him with accusation astir Three Feet Distance. As it turned out, Baldoni’s movie — which became titled Five Feet Apart — would transcript galore elements of Three Feet Distance.'

Ultimately, arsenic reported by Bloomberg Law, the copyright infringement suit implicit the movie was dismissed by a national tribunal successful Los Angeles in March 2022.

DailyMail.com has reached retired to Baldoni's typical for comment. 

Baldoni dedicated his film, Five Feet Apart, to YouTuber Claire Wineland, who was a paid advisor connected the movie and chronicled her beingness with cystic fibrosis successful a bid of earthy YouTube videos.

The movie was a container bureau hit, earning an awesome $92 cardinal connected a $7 cardinal budget. 

At the clip of its release, Baldoni revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that Wineland 'unfortunately passed distant conscionable before' helium 'could amusement her' his 'director’s cut.' 

'It’s thing I’m inactive dealing with,' helium admitted. 

Last year, successful grant of Cystic fibrosis (CF) Awareness Month, helium reflected connected releasing Five Feet Apart to the satellite successful a heartfelt Instagram post. 

'It was a labour of emotion that I had the grant of making with my beloved person Claire,' helium captioned a slideshow, featuring photos with Wineland and from the film.

He continued: 'Claire virtually changed the people of my life. Her zest for beingness was infectious, and she was determined to unrecorded successful a mode that made herself proud. She was not astonishing contempt her illness. She was amazing, arsenic she says, due to the fact that of it. She taught maine to marque beingness a beauteous portion of art, and I miss her dearly.' 

'Unfortunately, Claire ne'er got to physically spot the film, arsenic conscionable earlier I could amusement her, she got the telephone for a treble lung transplant. Due to complications, she ne'er woke up. Before she passed, I held her manus and promised her that I would proceed to enactment her enactment successful immoderate mode I could,' helium concluded. 

He went connected to promote fans to enactment Claire's Place Foundation, a non-profit providing fiscal and assemblage enactment to children and families affected by cystic fibrosis, 'run by [Claire's] unthinkable mother.'

When sharing the archetypal authoritative trailer for Five Feet Apart successful 2018, Baldoni expressed however arrogant helium was to beryllium making his directorial debut and to person worked with the CF community. 

'When I was eight, my dada gave maine his breached camera that I would unreal to marque movies with. Growing up I would movie perfectly everything...there was thing astir documenting beingness that I felt truthful drawn to,' helium explained. 

Baldoni continued: 'In precocious schoolhouse I made euphony videos for girls I liked, and turned successful abbreviated films alternatively of publication reports. As a struggling histrion I supported myself by directing euphony videos connected the broadside to marque rent, past aboriginal commercials, and successful my mid-twenties I decided to permission acting wholly to marque documentaries that I hoped could assistance heal our world.' 

The prima went connected to enactment that helium ne'er knew if helium would ever really 'direct a workplace diagnostic film' since 'sometimes dreams tin consciousness truthful acold away.' 

'This has ever been 1 of my large ones,' helium gushed. '(And I’m definite my ma would archer you she ever “knew” it would happen.' 

Earlier this month, Baldoni launched a $400M suit against Lively, 37, and her hubby Ryan Reynolds, 48, arsenic good arsenic Lively's publicist Leslie Soane, for alleged defamation, arsenic good arsenic civilian extortion, and mendacious airy penetration of privacy, among different claims. 

It follows an earlier suit seeking $250 cardinal that helium filed against the New York Times implicit its reporting connected Lively's ailment accusing him of intersexual harassment and orchestrating a smear run against her. 

The play betwixt the erstwhile co-stars has continued to unfold since then.

It each began successful August erstwhile rumours of rancour down the scenes of It Ends With Us emerged arsenic the movie was being released.

Lively archetypal filed a ailment against Baldoni accusing him of intersexual harassment and orchestrating a smear run against her past period earlier officially suing him and assorted others, alleging harassment and a coordinated run targeting her estimation successful retaliation for her speaking retired astir her attraction connected set.

Lively's archetypal ailment led to a question of backlash against Justin, and helium yet filed a suit against the NY Times implicit their reporting of the substance earlier filing a suit against Blake, her husband, and publicist Sloane.

In the latest development, Baldoni's lawyer released a bombshell video showing the brace connected the Ends With Us acceptable to Lively's claims she was sexually harassed by him portion filming that peculiar scene.

The explosive video exclusively released by DailyMail.com, showed each 3 takes of a creation country betwixt Lively, 37, and Baldoni - revealing the brace were connected evident large presumption earlier the histrion accused him of intersexual harassment.

Lively successful crook deed backmost astatine the clip's release, saying it proved that she was uncomfortable during the scene.

The histrion claims the explosive video exclusively released by DailyMail.com, which shows each 3 takes of a creation country betwixt her and Baldoni proves that she was uncomfortable during the scene.

'Justin Baldoni and his lawyer whitethorn anticipation that this latest stunt volition get up of the damaging grounds against him, but the video itself is damning,' her ineligible squad shared successful a connection with DailyMail.com.

Her squad claims the video 'shows Mr. Baldoni repeatedly leaning successful toward Ms. Lively, attempting to buss her, kissing her forehead, rubbing his look and rima against her neck, flicking her articulator with his thumb, caressing her, telling her however bully she smells, and talking with her retired of character.'

'Every framework of the released footage corroborates, to the letter, what Ms. Lively described successful Paragraph 48 of her Complaint.'

Lively's lawyer besides added that nary of the intimacy shown successful the video from the movie — which Baldoni directed and starred successful alongside Lively — was choreographed.

'Every infinitesimal of this was improvised by Mr. Baldoni with nary treatment oregon consent successful advance, and nary intimacy coordinator present.'

'Mr. Baldoni was not lone Ms. Lively’s co-star, but the director, the caput of workplace and Ms. Lively’s boss.'

Lively's ineligible squad claims that her 'leaning away' from Baldoni during the country was not acting, and that the clips shows her 'repeatedly asking for the characters to conscionable talk.'

'Any pistillate who has been inappropriately touched successful the workplace volition admit Ms. Lively’s discomfort.'

'They volition admit her attempts astatine levity to effort to deflect the unwanted touching. No pistillate should person to instrumentality antiaircraft measures to debar being touched by their leader without their consent.'

Her squad claims that releasing the video to the media 'is different illustration of an unethical effort to manipulate the public' and 'a continuation of their harassment and retaliatory campaign.'

'We are continuing our efforts to necessitate Mr. Baldoni and his associates to reply successful court, nether oath, alternatively than done manufactured media stunts,' her lawyer stated.