Blake Lively filed a motion Thursday to throw out Justin Baldoni‘s $400 million defamation suit against her, arguing that the suit is retaliation for lodging a sexual harassment claim.
In the motion, Lively’s attorneys invoked a California law that protects sexual harassment accusers. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the law in 2023 in response to a wave of defamation suits against women who spoke up during the #MeToo movement. Lively’s attorneys say the law entitles her to claim attorneys’ fees and damages from Baldoni once his suit is thrown out.
“In other words, in an epic self-own, the Wayfarer Parties have created more liability for themselves by their malicious efforts to sue Ms. Lively ‘into oblivion,’” the motion states.
Lively has sued Baldoni, his publicists, and the producers behind “It Ends With Us,” alleging that they launched a smear campaign against her after she complained about sexual harassment on set. Baldoni, who directed and co-stars with Lively in the film, then sued her and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, arguing that they sought to destroy his career with false allegations.
Reynolds filed his own motion to dismiss on Tuesday, saying that Baldoni’s claims amount to little more than “hurt feelings,” and that Reynolds was within his rights to call Baldoni a sexual predator.
Lively’s attorneys, Mike Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, said in a statement Thursday that Baldoni’s defamation suit is an “abuse of the legal process.”
“The painful reality is that Ms. Lively is not alone in being sued for defamation after speaking up about being sexually harassed at work,” a Lively spokesperson added. “While Ms. Lively has suffered greatly by speaking up and pursuing legal claims, it is important for other people to know that they have protections, and that there is a specific law that expressly protects them from being silenced or financially ruined by a defamation lawsuit because they had the courage to speak up.”
Baldoni alleged in his complaint that Lively repeatedly used threats of false allegations in order to hijack the film. The complaint also accuses Lively and her team of working for months with the New York Times to publicize her accusations. The newspaper is also named as a defendant.
In the motion to dismiss, Lively’s attorneys argue that any such communication would be protected from lawsuits by the privileges that cover sexual harassment claims and reporting on legal cases.
Baldoni also accused Reynolds and Lively of pressuring his agent at WME to drop him as a client. Lively’s motion counters that the suit does not state enough facts to support a claim, and that Baldoni’s side has not shown evidence of lost work or other damages from the dissolution of the WME relationship.
From Variety US