“Shark Tank” star Daymond John has been granted a restraining order against three former contestants of the unscripted ABC show as a result of a federal court hearing in New Jersey.
The ruling was filed against former contestants Al “Bubba” Baker, his wife, Sabrina and his daughter, Brittani after the family described their experience working with John as a “nightmare” in several social media posts.
The family is now prohibited from making any additional statements about John and their business relationships, and must remove the “disparaging” posts from social media, according to the filing. The filing forbids the Bakers from making — or encouraging others to make any comments that “may be considered in any way negative, disparaging, or false which could adversely impact the reputation, goodwill, credibility, or value of DF Ventures, LLC (or any of its members) or Daymond John or could discourage any current or prospective customers from buying products from them.”
The Bakers must also take down a social media post targeted at manufacturer Rastelli Foods Group, which was retained to produce Bubba’s Q Boneless Baby Back Ribs, which the family pitched on a 2014 episode of “Shark Tank.”
“Today’s decision against the Bakers, their company and their false statements is a moment of vindication,” John said in a statement to media. “The actual facts, the record and the federal Judge’s opinion have confirmed that I did not — and could not have — committed any wrongdoing. I have always upheld transparency and honesty throughout my journey as an entrepreneur.”
The filing makes John’s previous temporary restraining order permanent after Judge Robert Kugler granted the temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction after declaring the Bakers broke a 2019 settlement agreement guaranteeing they would not make disparaging comments about John and Rastelli.
As a result of the Bakers’ comments, John testified that he lost out on several business opportunities, including “a major television network” canceling a show he was involved in, as well as losing “speaking engagement and a ‘major brand’” that halted their discussions following the social media posts.
A representative for John and ABC did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
