Shark Tank's Daymond John Gets Restraining Order Against 3 Former Contestants

New developments regarding Daymond John's conflict with one of his past "Shark Tank" businesses have come to light. On July 24, it was announced that the longtime "Shark Tank" investor was granted a permanent restraining order against former "Tank" contestant Al "Bubba" Baker, along with his wife Sabrina and daughter Brittani. In 2014, Baker and his daughter appeared on the show to pitch Bubba's Q Boneless Baby Back Ribs and received a $300,000 investment from John for 30% of the business.

The new ruling comes following a temporary restraining order granted to John after the family began publicly sharing their negative experiences with the shark on social media. The family made numerous allegations regarding John's behavior, claiming that he altered their deal, hired an unapproved former "Shark Tank" contestant to build their website, and excluded them from important meetings. According to New Jersey District Judge Robert Kugler, the family breached a 2019 agreement that prohibited them from making depreciating comments about John or Rastelli Food Group, who made a licensing deal with the company in 2015.

With the new order, the Bakers must now clear their social media of all negative posts towards John and Rastelli. "All the Bakers' posts are negative, disparaging or both, and certainly could impact DFV's and John's reputation, goodwill and credibility,"  Kugler's order states. "These posts clearly caused reputational harm that John will now have to deal with and counter." The outcome of this decision is sure to work in John's favor, as the shark faced some difficulties in the wake of the family's complaints.

Everything seemed to be headed in the right direction for Daymond John and the Baker family with their deal for Bubba's Q Boneless Baby Back Ribs. They experienced the "Shark Tank" effect almost immediately when their episode came out. Sales skyrocketed, with their company bringing in $100,000 in sales on the night of their episode's airing. On a Season 8 update segment, it was revealed that Bubba's had brought in $16 million in lifetime sales. But the subsequent dispute between the Bakers and John not only soured their relationship, it also took away some key opportunities from the investor himself.

According to John, the Bakers' comments took a toll on some upcoming professional events. This included a greenlit television show he was involved in with a big network being cancelled. Additionally, he was barred from communicating with a major brand that he was set to collaborate with for a speaking engagement. With the new permanent restraining order, John believes that justice was served and that his transparency as a businessperson was kept intact. In a statement provided to the LA Times, John said, "Today's decision against the Bakers, their company and their false statements is a moment of vindication. 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."