Blake Lively slams Justin Baldoni's 'sinister campaign' against her, demands lawsuit be dismissed
Blake Lively filed a motion to dismiss Justin Baldoni's defamation and civil extortion lawsuit against her on Thursday.
Lively's legal team claimed Baldoni used the lawsuit as a "blunt public relations instrument" designed to further the actor's "sinister campaign" to destroy his "It Ends With Us" co-star's reputation, according to the lawsuit obtained by Fox News Digital. Baldoni sued Lively for retaliation and defamation after the actress accused him of sexually harassing her while filming the Colleen Hoover movie.
"This lawsuit is a profound abuse of the legal process that has no place in federal court," Lively's lawyers, Mike Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, said in a statement.
"California law now expressly prohibits suing victims who make the decision to speak out against sexual harassment or retaliation, whether in a lawsuit or in the press. This meritless and retaliatory lawsuit runs head first into three legal obstacles, including the litigation, fair report, and sexual harassment privileges, the latter of which contains a mandatory fee shifting provision that will require the likes of billionaire Steve Sarowitz, Wayfarer Studios, and others that brought frivolous defamation claims against Ms. Lively to pay damages. In other words, in an epic self-own, the Wayfarer Parties’ attempt to sue Ms. Lively ‘into oblivion’ has only created more liability for them, and deservedly so, given what they have done."
In December, Lively detailed allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation, intentional affliction of emotional distress, negligence and more against Baldoni and film producer Jamey Heath in a complaint first filed with the California Civil Rights department and later in federal court.
Baldoni, in his own lawsuit filed in January, insisted that Lively had "falsely" accused him in an attempt to repair her reputation following the fallout of the movie's press tour after the actress took control of the film. Baldoni's legal team claimed that Lively had no evidence of a deliberate smear campaign and had instead worked to repair her reputation by accusing the actor and others of sexual harassment.
BLAKE LIVELY VS. JUSTIN BALDONI: EVERYTHING TO KNOW
Lively then filed her amended complaint on Feb. 18, claiming that two female cast members were willing to testify to the "unwelcome behavior" Baldoni exhibited on set. However, Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, slammed the new version of the lawsuit as "unsubstantial hearsay."
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Now, Lively's legal team has requested Baldoni's lawsuit be dismissed.
"In short, nothing in the FAC [first amended complaint] resembles an actionable legal claim. It is, instead, a blunt public relations instrument designed to further the Wayfarer Parties’ sinister campaign to ‘bury’ and ‘destroy’ Ms. Lively for speaking out about sexual harassment and retaliation," the lawsuit read.
"The Court should dismiss the FAC and – as required by California law – hold further proceedings to calculate an appropriate award of Ms. Lively’s attorneys’ fees, treble damages for the harm this meritless lawsuit has inflicted on her, and punitive damages against each of the Wayfarer Parties."
Fox News Digital reached out to Baldoni's team for comment.
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Lively and Baldoni have been locked in a back-and-forth legal battle with no end in sight. After both filed their respective lawsuits against the other, the two have shown no signs of settling outside of court.
Legal teams for both Lively and Baldoni told Judge Lewis Liman that "settlement discussions would be premature" in a joint letter filed in court in February and obtained by Fox News Digital. The letter also noted that "the parties agree that mediation and the Discovery Protocols… are inappropriate for this case."
The federal judge agreed with the "It Ends With Us" stars and granted the order. The trial is currently set to begin in 2026.