Justin Baldoni’s lawyer alleges Blake Lively “fabricated her allegations” in defamation legal battle
Justin Baldoni’s legal team have responded to Blake Lively’s attempt to have his defamation lawsuit thrown out by arguing her “fabricated” claims render her exempt from the California law that protects harassment victims.
In January, the It Ends With Us director and star filed a $400 million suit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, claiming that they tried to destroy his career and hijack the movie – which Lively starred in alongside Baldoni – with sexual harassment allegations which he denies.
Lively’s attorneys motioned to dismiss the suit last month, arguing that her allegations were protected by litigation privilege. They also pointed to the Protecting Survivors from Weaponized Defamation Lawsuits Act of 2023, which was created to shield sexual harassment victims from vindictive defamation suits filed in response to their accusations.
However, Baldoni’s team have argued that this law only applies to non-malicious claims made with a “reasonable basis.” They claim Lively made up her allegations out of thin air, so they feel the suit should be allowed to stand.
“Lively fabricated her allegations of sexual harassment, either wholesale or by exaggerating benign (and not harassing) interactions in a concerted, malicious effort to seize control of the film,” the attorneys stated, “and later to restore her reputation after a well-publicised series of marketing missteps that sullied her reputation.”
“Ms Lively and her circle of Hollywood elites cannot prevent my clients from exercising their constitutional right to petition the court to clear their names from her false and harmful claims,” Baldoni’s lead attorney Bryan Freedman stated.
“This right protects not only Mr Baldoni and the Wayfarer parties in this particular case but all Americans in the future who have false accusations levied against them and seek relief from our justice system,” Freedman continued. “This must stop here, and we will continue to fight against this blatant attempt to block access to the court system and to weaken our nation’s Constitution to serve those who are in the position of power.”
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.