Shark Tank investor Daymond John just scored a win in his ongoing feud with a family of former contestants.
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Back in June, we told you about the Bakers, whose deal with John for their Bubba Qโs Boneless Baby Back Ribs went south after the show. The Bakers took their beef public, issuing a series of negative social media posts about John and Rastelli Foods Group, the meat manufacturer producing their ribs. They also sat for an interview with the Los Angeles Times, where they accused John of dirty deeds, including trying to take over their business and get his hands on their profits. But a New Jersey federal court just handed down a restraining order forcing the Bakers to keep their negative comments to themselves.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the judgeโs order bars ex-NFL player Al โBubbaโ Baker, his wife, Sabrina, and their daughter, Brittani, from publicly sharing details of their experience with John. The order also requires them to delete any โdisparagingโ social media posts about John or Rastelli Foods.
The Bakers were contestants on Season 5 of Shark Tank, where they secured a deal with John for their pre-cooked boneless baby back ribs. The family claims their on-air offer of $300,000 for 30 percent of the company was slashed to $100,000 for a 35 percent stake after the show.
In his ruling, US District Judge Robert Kugler said the Bakerโs actions were a breach of a 2019 settlement agreementโs โnon-disparagement clause.โ Johnโs testimony said the Bakerโs comments cost him work, including a speaking engagement and a โmajor television network show.โ
โAll the Bakersโ posts are negative, disparaging, or both and certainly could impact DFVโs and Johnโs reputation, goodwill, and credibility,โ wrote Judge Kugler. โThese posts clearly caused reputational harm that John will now have to deal with and counter.โ
โTodayโs decision against the Bakers, their company, and their false statements is a moment of vindication,โ John said in a statement.
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