Dying Screenwriter's Widower Sues Lawyer for Betrayal

In a shocking turn of events, the estate of late screenwriter and rare-disease advocate Travis Flores has filed a lawsuit against his former lawyer, Bryan Freedman. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, accuses Freedman of legal malpractice, breach of fiduciary duty, and defamation.

According to the complaint, Freedman initially represented Flores in a copyright infringement lawsuit against the makers of the 2019 film "Five Feet Apart." Flores had claimed the movie was plagiarized from his own script "Three Feet Distance." However, Freedman later allegedly abandoned Flores' case, advising that it had no chance of success after a dismissal motion.

The lawsuit further alleges that Freedman then essentially "switched sides," representing filmmaker Justin Baldoni in unrelated litigation involving Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. Freedman even publicly praised Baldoni, calling him "exceedingly honorable and highly ethical" and saying he and his company did "absolutely nothing wrong" in Flores' case.

Flores' widower, Clément Souyri, who is representing the estate, claims he only learned of Freedman's actions after his husband's death in May 2024, when reporters began calling about the new Baldoni case. The lawsuit accuses Freedman of "trading up" his valuable but seriously ill client Flores for the more lucrative and healthier Baldoni.

The 33-year-old Flores, who had survived three double-lung transplants for cystic fibrosis, was a published author and motivational speaker. His family is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, alleging Freedman's actions were a "fundamental betrayal of trust" and an "unauthorized dissemination of false information" that humiliated the grieving family.