“Shark Tank” star and celebrity investor Daymond John is seeking a temporary restraining order against three former contestants who he went into business with through the show.
John hopes to stop Al “Bubba” Baker, his daughter Brittani and his wife Sabrina from speaking publicly about their business agreement after the family took to social media to slam John for what they described as a “nightmare” experience since he invested in their “Bubba Q’s Boneless Baby Back Ribs” business, the Los Angeles Times reported.
A New Jersey federal judge dismissed the case this week without prejudice over jurisdictional issues, according to the newspaper.
John has since filed an amended complaint, claiming the Bakers conducted a “willful and malicious smear campaign” against him.
The Bakers have accused John and his associates of attempting to take control of their business and excluding Al Baker from key business meetings and financial information in a recent LA Times investigation that John later called a “flawed interview and false narrative.”
The family claimed that the offer they received on air was revised off air to their detriment.
In Season 5 of the ABC reality show, they accept an offer from John for a $300,000 investment for 30% of the company.
Off air, they said he lowered the number to $100,000 for a greater 35% stake.
A spokesperson for John told the outlet it was “unfortunate that it has come to this” in regards to the legal action.
“This temporary restraining order is due to the Bakers’ blatant actions to undermine a business partnership and the legal parameters they agreed to 4 years ago,” spokesperson Zach Rosenfield said in a statement. “Their belief that they can unwind poor business decisions through slanderous social media posts and articles will no longer be tolerated.”
Rastelli Foods Group, a meat manufacturing company that produces the Bakers’ product, is also seeking a temporary restraining order over their allegedly “false” and “defamatory statements” the family said about the company, the Times reported.
The Bakers, meanwhile, say they have a right to speak “the truth” about working with John and that doing so “is in the best interest of the public.”
Many on social media have blasted John over the allegations and it’s not the first time he has taken heat online. In 2021, John praised remarks delivered by controversial religious leader Louis Farrakhan at DMX’s funeral. Farrakhan was accused of making “dozens of antisemitic statements.”
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