3 days ago
Blake Lively's Lawyers Hit Back at Justin Baldoni Court Hope
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Blake Lively's lawyers have hit back at Justin Baldoni's legal team, who suggested the actress should hold off on celebrations following a judge's motion to dismiss his $400 million lawsuit against her.
In a statement to Newsweek, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb called Baldoni's attempt to sue the actress "embarrassing."
Newsweek reached out to Baldoni's lawyer for comment via email outside regular working hours.
The Context
It Ends With Us co-stars Lively and Baldoni have been embroiled in a legal battle since December 2024 when Lively, who is 37, filed a sexual-harassment complaint against Baldoni, 41, alleging misconduct on the set of the 2024 film. She also accused him of launching a smear campaign against her, which he denied.
In response, Baldoni—who directed the movie as well—and production company Wayfarer Studios filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and her publicist Leslie Sloane, which alleged extortion, defamation and more.
In addition, Baldoni filed a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times for "libel," saying the publication "cherry-picked" Lively's story of what allegedly took place on the set of It Ends With Us.
On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Liman tossed out both of Baldoni's lawsuits, finding that Lively's sexual harassment accusations were legally protected. Liman said, however, that Baldoni's team can amend the claims for "tortious interference with contract and breach of implied contract" if they wish.
(L) Blake Lively attends the London premiere of "Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé" on November 30, 2023 in London, England. (R) Justin Baldoni is seen filming "It Ends With Us" on May 25, 2023 in...
(L) Blake Lively attends the London premiere of "Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé" on November 30, 2023 in London, England. (R) Justin Baldoni is seen filming "It Ends With Us" on May 25, 2023 in Hoboken, New Jersey. More
Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Parkwood; Gotham/GC Images
What To Know
On Tuesday, Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman said Lively's "declaration of victory is false."
"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," he said in a statement to TMZ.
"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," Freedman continued. "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."
In a statement to Newsweek on Wednesday, Lively's lawyers, Hudson and Gottlieb, pushed back against Freedman's remarks.
"The Court dismissed the entire Wayfafer complaint. Their lawsuit against Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, The New York Times and Leslie Sloane is gone," they said, "The Court's ruling also clearly stated that there are only two minor claims that the Wayfarer Parties can amend."
"No amount of spin, bluster, or creative accounting from Baldoni's legal team will change the embarrassing reality staring them in the face: the plan to sue Blake Lively and her family into oblivion has been a complete and total failure."
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively are seen on the set of "It Ends with Us" on January 12, 2024 in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively are seen on the set of "It Ends with Us" on January 12, 2024 in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
What People Are Saying
Freedman addressed the judge's dismissal on Thursday's episode of The Megyn Kelly Show: "The judge simplified things, and while we're not pleased that he got rid of the defamation causes of action, the truth was the case was never really about defamation. While it's our response, and while it's a portion of our claims, from the very start, this case was about somebody being wrongfully accused, and that's Justin."
Hudson and Gottlieb said in a statement after Monday's ruling: "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."
Sigrid McCawley, an attorney representing Leslie Sloane, said in a statement: "Leslie Sloane has consistently said that she never defamed Baldoni or the Wayfarer Parties and she was wrongfully dragged into this lawsuit because the Wayfarer Parties wanted to actively harm Sloane's reputation. Today's decision by the Court makes clear that Sloane did nothing wrong. Sloane stands fully vindicated, and justice has been served."
Charlie Stadtlander, a spokesperson for The New York Times, said: "We are grateful to the Court for seeing the lawsuit for what it was: a meritless attempt to stifle honest reporting. Our journalists went out and covered carefully and fairly a story of public importance, and the Court recognized that the law is designed to protect just that sort of journalism."
What Happens Next
The deadline for Baldoni's lawyers to refile amended claims is June 23.
