“Shark Tank” investor Diamond John has secured a permanent restraining order against the contestants behind a business he invested in as part of the show a decade ago.
USA TODAY can confirm that a federal judge in the New Jersey District Court ruled Friday that the fashion mogul had suffered “irreparable” damage to his reputation at the hands of former NFL player Al “Bubba” Baker and his family after they claimed via social media posts and interviews that working with John was a “nightmare.”
Baker and his daughter, Brittany Beau Baker, accused John and his associates of “misleading them, trying to take over their business and denying them the profits from profitable partnerships,” according to the statement. Los Angeles Times investigation Posted in May.
This was part of a “social media and news war” waged by the bakers against John and Baker’s business partners for Bubba Q De-Boned Baby Back Rib Steak products, County Judge Robert B. Kugler in court documents obtained by USA TODAY on Monday.
The July 21 ruling bars the bakers, including eldest wife Sabrina Baker, from making any defamatory or other defamatory comments about John and the company he founded to work with Bakers Foods. They were also ordered to remove all of their social media posts regarding John and their business dealings.
Brittany and Albaker declined to comment when contacted by USA TODAY.
Judge says Diamond John suffered ‘unmitigated, calculated and malicious’ attacks
Al and Brittani Baker appearing in Season 5 of “Shark Tank” seek to invest $300,000 in return for a 15% stake in their company. in the loopwhich aired in December 2013, explained how their ribs could be eaten with a knife and fork due to their bones being removed.
John offered to “invest $300,000 in exchange for a 30% interest in the venture, on the condition that a large meat processing company secure a patent license. This ownership was later reduced to 20%,” according to the complaint that John and his company filed against the bakers in June.
The complaint, obtained by USA TODAY, said the bakers violated the terms of their 2019 settlement agreement, which in part prevented them from disparaging or defaming any parties involved in their business venture. The judge noted that the Bickers posted written and video content on social media that was “negative, offensive, or both”.
In a TikTok video, Brittany Baker accused John of trying to take the family out of their business.
The judge wrote that “the unmitigated, calculated and grave attack upon John and his reputation, as we said in our original order granting interim relief, is unusual in its severity and perseverance.”
Daymond John says the judge’s ruling is a ‘vindicating moment’
“The greatest harm John and DFV suffered from the defendants’ actions was reputational damage,” the judge wrote in his conclusion.
He continued, “The amount of reputational damage caused by the defendants’ posts, which have received millions of views and include at least two interviews with major news outlets, is incalculable.
“Defendants’ comments and posts refer to John as a master manipulator and thief, say he cannot be trusted, say that working with him is a nightmare, that their business is not the only business John has negatively impacted, and that John is attempting to steal their business. These posts clearly have caused reputational damage that John will now have to deal with and address.”
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“The decision against Bakers, their company, and their false statements is a moment of vindication,” Diamond John said in a statement to USA TODAY.
“The actual facts, the record, and the opinion of a federal judge confirmed that I did not — and could not have done anything wrong,” John said.
. “Professional creator. Lifelong thinker. Reader. Beer buff. Troublemaker. Evil problem solver.”