Biography
Bryan Freedman is an American entertainment lawyer and litigator. He is co-founder of the Los Angeles–based law firm Liner Freedman Taitelman + Cooley LLP.
Freedman is known for his aggressive litigation style. He has represented many high-profile defendants in the entertainment industry, including actors, sportspeople as well as motion pictures and television companies, among others.
Career
1991–2015: Early career, Spencer, and Sony cases
After graduating from law school, Freedman was admitted to the California State Bar in 1991.
In 1997 Freedman co-founded Bryan Freedman Freedman + Taitelman, LLP with Michael Taitelman whom he met while attending law school at McGeorge. The law firm mostly represents clients from the entertainment industry.
In August 2014 Freedman represented Octavia Spencer who sued Sensa Products for $700,000 after the company terminated her contract prematurely. Sensa allegedly took issue with Spencer's use of the hashtag "#spon" to identify sponsored tweets promoting their products. She argued that her contract did not require her to avoid using such hashtags, and the court ruled in her favor, with Judge Michael Stern ordering Sensa to pay Spencer $940,000.
In November 2014 a hacker group called "Guardians of Peace" leaked confidential data from Sony Pictures Entertainment, including employee information, emails, salaries, and unreleased films. The group demanded that Sony withdraw the upcoming film The Interview, which depicted a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and threatened terrorist attacks at cinemas screening the film. Sony canceled the film's formal premiere and mainstream release, opting for a limited digital and theatrical release instead. Freedman represented several parties in the lawsuit against Sony which was eventually settled for $8 million.
2016–2020: Kelly, Michael Jackson Estate, and Union cases
In 2018 Megyn Kelly was fired from NBC after a Halloween segment on her talk show where she questioned why blackface is considered racist, stating that it was acceptable during her youth if someone was portraying a character. This led to accusations that Kelly was defending the use of blackface in Halloween costumes. Despite issuing a public apology, her show was canceled, and she was terminated from NBC. Freedman represented Kelly and said that NBC allowed false rumors to circulate and argued that Kelly should receive the remainder of her contract. Ultimately, NBC agreed to pay out the full remainder of her contract.
In February 2019 Freedman represented Michael Jackson Estate who filed a lawsuit against HBO over Leaving Neverland. After Michael Jackson's death, his estate faced debt-related issues. Freedman, alongside Howard Weitzman and executors John Branca and John McClain, worked to resolve a reported $500 million in estate debt and a $100 million lawsuit against HBO related to the documentary Leaving Neverland, which detailed allegations of child sexual abuse against Jackson.
In May 2020 Freedman represented Gabrielle Union who filed a discrimination lawsuit against the producers of America's Got Talent, alleging racism and prejudice after her contract as a judge was not renewed for the fourteenth season in 2019, following her complaints about racist incidents on set. Fellow judge Julianne Hough's contract was also not renewed. Freedman managed a settlement for Union with an "amicable resolution", although the terms of the agreement were not disclosed publicly.
2021–present: Harrison, Baldioni and other cases
In 2021 Chris Harrison hired Freedman to negotiate his exit from the show, when he faced backlash after defending Rachael Kirkconnell, a contestant on The Bachelor, during an interview with former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay. Kirkconnell had attended an "Old South" ball in 2018, hosted by Kappa Alpha Order (KA). With the help of Freedman, Harrison received an eight-figure payout, later reported to be $10 million, from the network.
In February 2022 Miles Cooley joined Freedman + Taitelman LLP as a partner and later in September 2023 it was renamed as Freedman Taitelman + Cooley.
In December 2024, Freedman began representing actor-director, Justin Baldoni. Baldoni is refuting allegations made against by his It Ends with Us co-star, Blake Lively. Freedman is leading a libel lawsuit for $250 million against the The New York Times for pushing an “unverified and self-serving narrative” using “cherry-picked and altered communications stripped of necessary context,” and allegedly ignoring evidence disputing her claims. Baldoni's lawyer stated, "In this vicious smear campaign fully orchestrated by Blake Lively and her team, the New York Times cowered to the wants and whims of two powerful ‘untouchable’ Hollywood elites, disregarding journalistic practices and ethics once befitting of the revered publication by using doctored and manipulated texts and intentionally omitting texts which dispute their chosen PR narrative."
Baldoni's lawsuit states, “Lively’s cynical abuse of sexual harassment allegations to assert unilateral control over every aspect of the production was both strategic and manipulative... Simultaneously, her public image suffered as a result of a series of high-profile blunders, which she tried to deflect by blaming Plaintiffs for the public’s prying interest into the foibles of an A-list celebrity. This is nothing but an excuse. Fame is a double-edged sword, but Lively’s tactics here are unconscionable.”
The New York Times has defended itself, saying "The role of an independent news organization is to follow the facts where they lead. Our story was meticulously and responsibly reported. It was based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails that we quote accurately and at length in the article. To date, Wayfarer Studios, Mr. Baldoni, the other subjects of the article and their representatives have not pointed to a single error. We published their full statement in response to the allegations in the article as well. We plan to vigorously defend against the lawsuit."
Over the years Freedman has represented Alanis Morissette, Bethenny Frankel, Chris Cuomo, Christopher Nolan, Deborah Dugan, Diplo, Don Lemon, FKA twigs, Jeff Ross, Julia Roberts, Kate Beckinsale, Kevin Spacey, Lil Pump, Linkin Park, Mariah Carey, Mike Richards, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Downey Jr., Seth Rogen, Tucker Carlson, Vin Diesel, and relatives of the Menendez brothers.
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