Hollywood¡¯s latest courtroom drama is heating up, and Blake Lively is making it clear that she¡¯s done playing defense. The Gossip Girl alum has officially fired back at It Ends With Us director and co-star Justin Baldoni¡¯s jaw-dropping $400 million countersuit, demanding that it be dismissed in a fiery legal move.
Lively¡¯s motion, filed in a New York federal court, doesn¡¯t mince words. Her attorneys slam Baldoni¡¯s lawsuit as ¡°vengeful and rambling,¡± calling it a blatant ¡°abuse of the legal process.¡± The filing also points to a California law that protects individuals from retaliatory defamation claims when they speak out about sexual misconduct. The message? Lively isn¡¯t just defending herself¡ªshe¡¯s making an example out of Baldoni.
For those who need a refresher, this legal battle erupted after Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and workplace retaliation. Baldoni, in response, went nuclear¡ªfiling a staggering $400 million counterclaim against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, their publicist Leslie Sloane, PR firm Vision PR, and even The New York Times. His lawsuit alleges defamation, civil extortion, and false light invasion of privacy.
But Lively¡¯s team isn¡¯t having it. They argue that Baldoni¡¯s countersuit is nothing more than an intimidation tactic meant to ¡°weaponize defamation lawsuits¡± and financially drain those who speak up. And if Lively wins? Baldoni could be the one paying up¡ªcovering her legal fees and damages under California¡¯s protective law.
Baldoni¡¯s legal team, however, isn¡¯t backing down either. In a fiery response, his attorneys claim Lively is desperately trying to escape ¡°the self-concocted disaster she initiated.¡± They maintain that her accusations were made with ¡°pure malice¡± and insist they will be ¡°swiftly debunked¡± as the case moves forward.
Meanwhile, Lively¡¯s camp is calling out what they see as a calculated smear campaign. According to them, Baldoni¡¯s lawsuit isn¡¯t just about legal retaliation¡ªit¡¯s a PR move designed to ¡°bury¡± and ¡°destroy¡± her for daring to speak out.
In a parallel development, Ryan Reynolds¡ªdragged into the chaos via Baldoni¡¯s defamation claims¡ªhas filed his own motion to be dismissed from the lawsuit. His legal team is firmly denying Baldoni¡¯s accusations, distancing the Deadpool star from the courtroom spectacle.
With Lively pushing for dismissal and Baldoni doubling down, this case isn¡¯t slowing down anytime soon. The outcome could set a major precedent in Hollywood¡¯s post-#MeToo landscape, where speaking up against alleged misconduct still comes at a steep cost.
One thing¡¯s for sure¡ªthis is more than just a legal battle. It¡¯s a war of reputations, and neither side is ready to surrender.