Former Bay Area CEO Accuses Hollywood Lawyer of Extortion in Ongoing Lawsuit

Former Bay Area CEO, Christian Lanng, has filed a countersuit against his former assistant, identified as Jane Doe, and her high-profile Hollywood lawyer, Bryan Freedman, alleging extortion in an ongoing lawsuit. Lanng, co-founder of software company Tradeshift, had previously been accused by Doe of enslaving her and subjecting her to years of sexual abuse and assault.

The dispute centers around a $10 million settlement agreement reached between Lanng and Doe in 2022, which Lanng claims was intended to resolve her claims. Lanng alleges that Freedman threatened to take Doe’s story to celebrity-gossip website TMZ if he did not pay her an additional $10 million on top of the money already paid under the settlement.

Lanng vehemently denies the allegations made by Doe and her lawyers, stating that their claims are baseless and contradicted by extensive evidence. He asserts that the relationship between him and Doe was consensual and that the “slave contract” presented as evidence in Doe’s lawsuit was merely a prop downloaded from the internet and drafted by Doe herself.

Freedman, who has represented notable figures in the entertainment industry, including Quentin Tarantino and Julia Roberts, denies Lanng’s accusations of extortion. He questions why Lanng would agree to a $10 million settlement if the alleged “slave contract” was merely a prop.

According to Lanng’s countersuit, Freedman allegedly texted him after the settlement was reached, threatening to leak the story to TMZ if Lanng did not provide the additional $10 million demanded by Doe. Lanng claims that Freedman also threatened his ability to do business and suggested that he faced permanent destruction if he did not comply.

Lanng asserts that he had been making installment payments to fulfill the settlement agreement but claims that Doe demanded more than the agreed-upon $10 million after a late payment. He alleges that Doe hired Freedman’s firm to advance her scheme after receiving millions of dollars from the settlement.

The ongoing court battle between Lanng, Doe, and Freedman has attracted attention due to the high-profile nature of the individuals involved. Tradeshift, the software company co-founded by Lanng, had fired him for gross misconduct following the discovery of serious allegations of sexual assault and harassment against him.