Shark Tank Daymond John issued a restraining order against Bubba’s Q Boneless Baby Back Ribs contestants after they accused him of “fraudulent and illegal” behavior following his striking a deal with them on the ABC show.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Daymond requested a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against former NFL player Al “Bubba” Baker, his daughter, Brittani and his wife, Sabrina, after they publicly described their experience with the businessman as a “nightmare.” Brittani also showed receipts on how the shark allegedly duped them.
In his legal complaint, Daymond wrote that the family had “continued to post outrageous, damaging, and false video content with the goal of inflicting harm on Plaintiffs.”
A New Jersey judge initially threw out the case due to jurisdictional issues, but Daymond filed an amended complaint.
A spokesperson for Daymond, Zach Rosenfield, released a statement on his behalf.
“After repeated attempts to give the Bakers the ability to correct their violations, it is unfortunate that it has to come to this,” Rosenfield stated. “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. Their belief that they can unwind poor business decisions through slanderous social media posts and articles will no longer be tolerated.”
The Bakers appeared in an episode of Shark Tank during their fifth season (2013-2014), specifically Al and Brittani, in an attempt to snatch a deal from one of the sharks with their de-boned baby back rib steak pitch.
Eventually, the Baker family and owners of Bubba’s Q went with Daymond’s offer — $300k for a 30 percent stake. Al shared that his family had almost wiped out the profits made from their restaurant. So, it was a heartwarming moment to see a Black and wealthy businessman help a Black-owned business. But, according to Brittani, things went south.
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Brittani alleged that Daymond employed former Shark Tank contestant Nate Holzapfel to work on their website, referring to him as an “internet genius.”
The same Nate Holzapfel recently charged with communications fraud, a second-degree felony. She also showed emails where Nate confessed to intentionally paying vendors late. Brittani and Al expressed their concerns about working with Nate to Daymond, who guaranteed Nate was doing his job.
Nate had access to their website and was the only signer on their business account with over $100k. Nate then closed it and sent them a check for $8,000 without explaining where the other funds went. When they notified Daymond, he said, “That’s what Nate deserved.”
She also said the “internet genius” failed to set up sales taxes on their BBQ sauces, causing them to refund over $30,000 worth of sauces.
Brittani told the Times that Shark Tank showed Daymond offering $300k for 30 percent. But she said Daymond changed the deal to $100k for 35 percent later.
She and Al also shared that of the $16 million they made from the business, they only received 4 percent in profit ($659,000).
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Brittani claimed Daymond had a “confidential payment” arrangement with Bubba Q’s co-packer, Rastelli Foods. Yet Daymond publicly claimed he wasn’t getting paid anything by them. But the financial report Rastelli sent the Bakers showed the opposite.
Al and Brittani hesitated about their deal with Daymond and the meat manufacturer that produced their patented de-boned ribs, especially since they reportedly didn’t pay them a dime.
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Daymond took to social media to deny the Bakers’ claims, calling their actions a “willful and malicious smear campaign.” He refused to show any documentation backing his argument because he didn’t want to breach the contract. He vaguely spoke about it in a social media video to encourage his followers to “stand up for” themselves.
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In a letter to the judge, the Bakers explained their decision to publicize their story was due to the “lack of communication” and no contact from Daymond and Rastelli.
“We firmly believe that the truth is in the best interest of the public.”
