Justin Baldoni slams Blake Lively's 'false' victory as he makes lawsuit vow
Actor Justin Baldoni has been locked in a legal battle with his It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively as a judge dismissed his £294m defamation lawsuit against her
Justin Baldoni's legal team have insisted Blake Lively's victory over her It Ends With Us co-star is "false" after his $400million lawsuit was dismissed by a judge. Their ongoing legal battle kicked off following their time working together on the film.
Blake launched a sexual harassment lawsuit against Justin, who has strongly refuted the claims. He then hit back with a $400m defamation claim against her, her publicist and husband Ryan Reynolds, all of whom have dismissed the accusations.
Justin went on to launch a $250m libel case against the New York Times over their coverage of Blake's allegations. Yesterday, it was reported his $400million lawsuit was dismissed.
Judge Lewis J Liman dismissed the lawsuit due to Blake's allegations being made within privileged court papers, so were subsequently not defamatory. Blake's legal time branded the decision a "total victory" and "complete vindication" for the star.
However, Justin's lawyer has now hit back at their celebrations and branded it "false". In a statement to the Mirror, Bryan Freedman said: "Ms. Lively and her team's predictable declaration of victory is false, so let us be clear about the latest ruling.
"While the Court dismissed the defamation-related claims, the Court has invited us to amend four out of the seven claims against Ms. Lively, which will showcase additional evidence and refined allegations.
"This case is about false accusations of sexual harassment and retaliation and a nonexistent smear campaign, which Ms. Lively's own team conveniently describes as 'untraceable' because they cannot prove what never happened.
"Most importantly, Ms. Lively's own claims are no truer today than they were yesterday, and with the facts on our side, we march forward with the same confidence that we had when Ms. Lively and her cohorts initiated this battle and look forward to her forthcoming deposition, which I will be taking.
"We are grateful for the organic show of support from the public and for the dedication of the Internet sleuth community who continue to cover the case with discernment and integrity."
A spokesperson for Blake, who stepped out at the Chanel Tribeca Festival Artists Dinner red carpet last night, had told the Daily Mail: "Today's opinion is a total victory and a complete vindication for Blake Lively, along with those that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties dragged into their retaliatory lawsuit, including Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane and The New York Times.
"As we have said from day one, this '$400 million' lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it. We look forward to the next round, which is seeking attorneys' fees, treble damages and punitive damages against Baldoni, Sarowitz, Nathan, and the other Wayfarer Parties who perpetrated this abusive litigation."
The actress went on to issue a statement on Instagram as she said: "Last week, I stood proudly alongside 19 organisations united in defending women's rights to speak up for their safety. Like so many others, I've felt the pain of a retaliatory lawsuit, including the manufactured shame that tries to break us. While the suit against me was defeated, so many don't have the resources to fight back."
Blake added she was "more resolved than ever to continue to stand for every woman's right to have a voice in protecting themselves, including their safety, their integrity, their dignity and their story".
The Gossip Girl actress, who has four children with actor Ryan Reynolds, continued: "With love and gratitude for the many who stood by me, many of you I know. Many of you I don't. But I will never stop appreciating or advocating for you."
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