Updated
Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Apr 24
Craig Flanders named as target in alleged coordinated online smear campaign
Updated
Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Apr 24

Craig Flanders named as target in alleged coordinated online smear campaign

3 articles · Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Apr 24
  • A new amended complaint links anonymous online attacks against attorney Craig Flanders to associates of Bryan Freedman, including Jed Wallace and Melissa Nathan, amid a high-profile legal dispute involving Pappy & Harriet’s in Joshua Tree.
  • The complaint alleges that sock-puppet social media accounts and attack websites targeted Flanders and his clients, with digital evidence suggesting common authorship behind smears against multiple individuals, including actress-activist Alexa Nikolas.
  • Nikolas claims the campaign began after she publicized Freedman’s past sexual-assault settlement, and similar tactics have been alleged in other celebrity disputes involving Freedman’s associates, who deny involvement.
Can digital forensics unmask the powerful figures behind anonymous online attacks?
Could the widespread accusations against the legal team be a coordinated attack?
When celebrity lawsuits become digital warfare, who is the real loser?
With a trial looming in May, what is Blake Lively's key evidence?
Have secret smear campaigns become a standard tool in high-stakes legal fights?