Justin Baldoni’s lawyers respond after $400 million lawsuit dismissed
The legal team for Justin Baldoni have said they are preparing “additional evidence and refined allegations” after his $400 million defamation lawsuit against Blake Lively was dismissed.
On June 9th, a judge dismissed the counterclaim that Baldoni had made against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist for extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy that the director and actor had made in January.
It came after the pair entered into a seismic legal dispute in December last year following the release of the film It Ends With Us, in which Lively alleges that Baldoni sexually harassed her before subjecting her to a smear campaign, which he denies.
After his counterclaim was thrown out, Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, responded by telling TheWrap: “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.”
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.”
After news of Baldoni’s claim dismissal emerged, Lively wrote on Instagram Stories: “I’m 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.”
For the part of the remaining claims, Baldoni and Lively’s case will head to court in March next year.
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