UPDATE: Blake Lively Responds To Justin Baldoni’s $400 Million Lawsuit: ‘It Will Fail’

UPDATE: Blake Lively Responds To Justin Baldoni’s $400 Million Lawsuit: ‘It Will Fail’

Update (Jan. 17, 2025):

Blake Lively is responding to Justin Baldoni’s massive $400 million defamation lawsuit.

Blake Lively’s legal team released a statement to Us Weekly on January 16, hitting back at Justin Baldoni, saying,

”This latest lawsuit from Justin Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and its associates is another chapter in the abuser playbook.”

They accuse Baldoni’s camp of trying to shift focus from his own alleged misconduct:

“They are trying to shift the narrative to Ms. Lively by falsely claiming that she seized creative control and alienated the cast from Mr. Baldoni. The evidence will show that the cast and others had their own negative experiences with Mr. Baldoni.”

The statement contiuned:

“Their response to s*xual harassment allegations: she wanted it, it’s her fault. In short, while the victim focuses on the abuse, the abuser focuses on the victim. The strategy of attacking the woman is desperate, it does not refute the evidence in Ms. Lively’s complaint, and it will fail.”

Baldoni’s lawsuit, filed in New York federal court, accuses Blake Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and her publicist of defamation, extortion, and breach of contract. He claims Lively leveraged her refusal to return after the SAG-AFTRA strike to gain control of the film, secure a producer credit, and sideline him from promotional efforts, all while orchestrating a smear campaign labeling him a “s*xual predator.”

Lively’s initial lawsuit, filed earlier, accuses Baldoni’s PR team of retaliation and plotting to damage her reputation after she spoke out about alleged s*xual harassment on the set of “It Ends With Us.”

Original Story (Jan. 16, 2025): Justin Baldoni is taking legal action against Blake Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and her publicist Leslie Sloane over an alleged smear campaign tied to their film “It Ends With Us.”

In a lawsuit filed Thursday (Jan. 16) in New York federal court, Baldoni accuses Lively, Reynolds, and Sloane of defamation, extortion, breach of contract, and other claims, seeking $400 million in damages.

The legal drama stems from allegations that Lively, after refusing to return to production following the SAG-AFTRA strike, leveraged a list of demands to gain control of the film, secure a producer credit, and sideline Baldoni from marketing efforts. When her promotional strategies reportedly backfired, Baldoni claims Lively directed her team to spread false stories branding him a “sexual predator.”

 

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As for Reynolds, Baldoni claims he heard that at the 2024 “Deadpool & Wolverine” premiere, Reynolds told WME representatives that Baldoni was a “sexual predator.” Baldoni was later dropped from the agency; however, WME denies being pressured to do so.

This lawsuit follows Lively’s legal action against Baldoni and his PR team, accusing them of plotting to damage her reputation in retaliation for speaking out about alleged sexual misconduct on the “It Ends With Us” set. On the same day, Lively filed her suit, Baldoni initiated his own against The New York Times, claiming the publication worked with Lively’s PR team to promote a biased narrative while disregarding evidence that countered her claims.

How do you think this will play out?

[VIA]