A tech company CEO who allegedly forced a former assistant to become a “sex slave” claims the accusations only surfaced after a powerful Hollywood lawyer demanded $10 million as a “quick paycheck” This was revealed in a report by the Post.
Christian Lang, who resigned from the leadership of San Francisco-based tech unicorn Tradeshift in October amid allegations of “serious assault and harassment,” filed an explosive counterclaim a month ago with a Los Angeles attorney. He claimed to have received threatening text messages from Brian Friedman. Celebrity clients include former CNN host Don Lemon and reality TV star Bethenny Frankel.
According to the U.S. countersuit, Friedman sent a text message on Sept. 4 saying, “A major media outlet has asked me if you could explain your side of the story in relation to the allegations that have been brought forward this week.” “I was asked,” he told Lang. District Court of California.
According to Tuesday’s complaint, Friedman appeared on TMZ last month holding up a copy of an alleged “slave contract” with his name blacked out. TMZ is owned by his Fox Corp. and shares common ownership with the New York Post.
Friedman allegedly appeared on TMZ in a separate lawsuit involving a reality TV star client, holding up a copy of a redacted “slavery contract” on camera, but according to Lan’s camp, “a counterclaim. “This is a clear threat to the people.” Mr. Lunn and the accuser, known in court documents as Jane Doe, had a consensual relationship.
According to court documents, the day after the first email on Sept. 4, Friedman messaged Lunn again, saying, “Christian, as you know, I don’t control the media, but once filed, a lawsuit takes on a life of its own.” ” he wrote. “Obviously, the payment avoids the filing. Is that happening today? Bruce provided his 10m file by 8/15.
“The paper is ready, so if you want to avoid making this even more difficult, let me know,” Friedman added, according to the screenshot.
In response to the allegations, a spokesperson for Mr. Friedman provided a brief written statement from Power’s attorney.
“It’s not surprising that enforcers of slave contracts would try to play the victim,” Friedman said. “This is nothing but further abuse and a desperate attempt to get away with his own illegal activities.”
The alleged shakedown comes just a month after banking giant HSBC announced Announced that it has invested $35 million in Tradeshift as part of $70 million in funding to form a joint venture.
Mr. Lan’s counterclaim against his Los Angeles attorney was filed as part of a settlement agreement reached in May 2022, in which Mr. Lan claimed “for the purpose of redressing the potential sale of Tradeshift,” “despite his innocence.” This was done after the company had already agreed to pay $10 million. Court documents.
Tradeshift told the Post on Monday that “on September 1, 2023, more than a year later, Mr. Lunn was terminated for gross misconduct on multiple grounds.” He also resigned from the Tradeshift Committee. ”
Mr. Lang alleges in his countersuit that the shakedown began after he missed a deadline to pay installments of a $10 million out-of-court settlement with Mr. Doe.
In response, he said Friedman’s Los Angeles-based law firm, Friedman Teitelman + Cooley LLP, “hired a third party to create a fake website and website in early 2023 to fabricate accounts of fraud by Lang. “I had him develop a Twitter account.”
A spokesperson for Lanng claimed that one of the fake accounts was operating on X using the handle. @_ChristianLanggtweeted a cryptic post that read, “To Christian and the entire Tradeshift Committee: I’m not going anywhere. None of us are. This is just the beginning.”
The idea, according to the counterclaim, was “to embarrass and intimidate Mr. Lunn into agreeing to pay even more money than he had already paid.”
Ms. Doe’s shocking lawsuit, filed in December, alleges that the depraved “slave contract” made her “sexually available whenever her master needed sex, even if she was not a slave.” “Never refuse sex, even when the time comes,” he said. [day] collar,” according to a copy of the contract allegedly filed in her lawsuit.
A purported contract for Doe, who was fired from Tradeshift in 2020, states, “Whenever she meets her husband for the first time in private, she is to kneel down and ask him if there is anything she can do for him.” “There is,” it added. Unfortunately, Tradeshift has had to make significant job cuts,” Lang said late last year.
Mr. Doe, who at one point worked as Mr. Lang’s assistant, was also to keep a “diary” about Mr. Lang’s “conquest and enslavement,” and would be “beat with a cane if he did not write obediently.” He said he agreed with that. to her lawsuit.
However, in his counterclaim, Mr. Lan included statements in which Doe allegedly made abusive statements about his relationship with Mr. Lan.
“I’m so obsessed, in love, in awe, so eager for pain against Christian! … I’m so confident that I’m also his sex slave. It got even better (lol).”
Ms. Lan’s lawyers argue that “It is unreasonable to conclude that “I am truly his sex slave (lol)” was written at the behest of her “master,”” and they argue against Doe’s claims. added, “It’s worth nothing.” all. “
In his counterclaim, Mr. Lan argued that after Mr. Lan and Doo’s relationship began to include “BDSM elements,” the “slave contract” was “merely a sexual tool downloaded from the Internet,” and that, among other things, It was never intended to be coercive.” at work.
Lang filed a countersuit in California state court Tuesday against Friedman, Cooley and Doe for “extortion, defamation, breach of contract, and intentional infliction of emotional distress,” Lang said in a statement to the Post. He added that he did.
He asked for “at least $40 million” in damages.
“As you can see from the text messages in the filing, Mr. Friedman approached me while I was temporarily unrepresented. His actions included ‘levelling threats’ and ‘lawful threats. This included interfering with his ability to obtain qualified legal counsel by placing arbitrary deadlines on foreign requests, while also suggesting that he was in contact with major media outlets. ” Lang added.
He also noted that Doe had been “convicted of charges of moral corruption.”
Doe was convicted of misdemeanor petty theft in 2005, and several years earlier, in 2014, Doe became romantically involved with Ms. Lunn, according to California state records. She was sentenced to three years of probation for possible violations, according to public records.
Additional case files related to Doe’s misdemeanor offenses have since been destroyed, a representative for Lang told the Post.
In another example of Friedman’s alleged failure to pursue Doe’s application, Mr. Lunn said in a statement to the Post that Friedman had changed the name of one of Mr. Lunn’s ex-girlfriends who was included in Doe’s lawsuit. I failed to edit it.”
In a sworn statement obtained by the Post, Lunn’s ex-girlfriend said: “In the complaint filed on December 7, 2023, the complaint was made without my consent or prior knowledge and was not redacted. “The termination letter named me as the victim and cleared my name.” do not have. “
The two dated from spring to summer 2023, according to the affidavit.
Mr. Friedman has faced similar legal resistance for alleged heavy-handed tactics, including with MediaLink founder and chief Michael Kassan. A major Hollywood lawyer was sued for defamation. In connection with a lawsuit against UTA, which represented Mr. Friedman when he called Mr. Kassan a “pathological liar” in an interview with Deadline.
