Celebrity investor and “Shark Tank” star Daymond John has obtained a temporary restraining order against three former contestants with whom he went into business.
A federal court in New Jersey has prohibited former NFL defensive end Al “Bubba” Baker, along with his wife Sabrina and daughter Brittani, from publicly discussing his experience with John following their appearance on the ABC reality TV show, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The court also ordered the Bakers take down “disparaging” social media posts they had put up discussing their business relationship and experience with John.
In addition, the judge’s ruling prohibits the Bakers from making any disparaging statements about Rastelli Foods Group, the meat manufacturer involved in the production of the Bakers’ Q Boneless Baby Back Ribs, a venture they share with John.
Rastelli Foods Group accused the Bakers of making false and defamatory statements against it. John’s entity, DF Ventures, also a plaintiff in the case, was established to conduct business with the Bakers’ ribs company.
As a result of the ruling, the Bakers must also remove any social media posts that could be considered disparaging towards Rastelli Foods Group.
“All the Bakers’ posts are negative, disparaging, or both and certainly could impact DFV’s and John’s reputation, goodwill, and credibility,” Judge Robert Kugler wrote in his order.
“These posts caused reputational harm that John will now have to deal with and counter,” he added.
Kugler also said that the Bakers had violated the non-disparagement clause of the settlement agreement. Consequently, the judge ruled to permanently prevent the Bakers from engaging in any further violations, including making disparaging remarks in public, whether on social media or through news outlets.
According to the court documents, John testified that the Bakers’ comments had significantly affected his career. He revealed that a major television network had canceled a show that had already been approved for production and that he had been involved in. Additionally, John claimed to have lost a speaking engagement and a potential collaboration with a major brand after the Bakers had made their posts.
Following the ruling, John issued a statement that was made public on LinkedIn, saying, “Today’s decision against the Bakers, their company, and their lies is a moment of vindication.”
“Let this be a reminder of the importance of the truth in an age of misinformation and clickbait,” he added. “I have always upheld transparency and honesty throughout my journey as an entrepreneur.”
Produced in association with Benzinga
Edited by Saba Fatima and Maham Javaid
