On Thursday, Justin Baldoni‘s legal team countered Blake Lively’s motion to dismiss his defamation case, stating that a California law designed for the protection of harassment victims does not extend to her “manufactured” accusations, as they are unfounded.
In January, the actor-director brought forward a $400 million lawsuit against his co-star Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, claiming that they intentionally sought to sabotage his career and take control of his film “It Ends With Us” by making unfounded accusations of on-set harassment.
Last month, Lively’s legal team proposed to discard the lawsuit, claiming that her accusations (initially presented in a California civil rights claim that was leaked to The New York Times) fall under the umbrella of litigation privilege and thus should not be subject to dispute.
Lively’s legal team additionally referred to the Protecting Survivors from Defamation Lawsuits Weaponized Against Them Act, a 2023 legislation that safeguards individuals who make harassment allegations from retaliatory defamation lawsuits. This law grants immunity from such suits and empowers successful defendants to seek compensation for legal fees and damages.
On Thursdays, Baldoni’s legal team countered by stating that the protection for harassment claims is limited to those with a “solid foundation” and made “in good faith.” They contend that Lively fabricated the accusations, implying that they do not fall under the purview of this law.
Lively fabricated her accusations of sexual harassment, either entirely or by blowing small, innocent interactions out of proportion. She did this deliberately and maliciously with the intention to take over the Film, as well as to repair her damaged reputation after a series of marketing mistakes that had negatively impacted it,” Baldoni’s lawyers claim.
Lawyer Bryan Freedman, representing Baldoni, stated that Lively’s legal strategy aims at establishing a potentially harmful precedent by weakening Baldoni’s ability to file a lawsuit based on the protections granted by the First Amendment.
Ms. Lively and her influential Hollywood associates can’t obstruct my clients from using their constitutional privilege to ask the court to correct false, damaging allegations made against them,” Freedman stated. “This right safeguards not just Mr. Baldoni and the Wayfarer group in this specific instance, but all U.S. citizens facing similar situations who need our legal system for redress when unfounded accusations are hurled at them. This needs to end now, and we will persist in our battle against this obvious effort to hinder court access and undermine the principles of our Constitution for those in positions of power.
The argument suggests that the litigation privilege doesn’t pertain here, as Lively had already put forth the accusations long before filing the civil rights lawsuit.
As a die-hard movie enthusiast, I’ve been closely following the buzz surrounding Blake Lively’s involvement in her upcoming projects. At the 2022 Forbes Power Women’s summit, she shared some insightful thoughts that seem to hint at her desire for creative control in her movies. In her own words, “When I first started acting, it was all about showing up, looking pretty, standing on a designated spot and saying my lines. But as I evolved, I realized I wanted more than just being an eye-candy.” This statement, to me, suggests that she’s keen on taking the reins creatively in her movie endeavors.
However, I also understood that simply acting wasn’t satisfying enough for me – I yearned to be involved in the storytelling process. At times, this desire was met with resistance from others who would say, ‘we only hired you to act,'” she went on. “I didn’t disclose my need for authorship to feel content. Therefore, it may have seemed like a surprise or a letdown to them because they thought I was trying to overstep boundaries that weren’t part of the job description I was given.
Baldoni’s team argues: “That is exactly what happened on the set of ‘It Ends With Us.’”
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2025-04-04 07:16