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Blake Lively is not done yet. The Gossip Girl alum is filing for the dismissal of Justin Baldoni's lawsuit which she claims is an “abuse” of the legal process.
“This lawsuit is a profound abuse of the legal process that has no place in federal court. California law now expressly prohibits suing victims who make the decision to speak out against sexual harassment or retaliation, whether in a lawsuit or in the press,” Lively’s lawyers Mike Gottlieb and Esra Hudson told Us Weekly in a statement.
“This meritless and retaliatory lawsuit runs head first into three legal obstacles, including the litigation, fair report, and sexual harassment privileges, the latter of which contains a mandatory fee shifting provision that will require the likes of … Wayfarer Studios, and others that brought frivolous defamation claims against Ms. Lively to pay damages,” the statement continued. “In other words, in an epic self-own, the Wayfarer Parties’ attempt to sue Ms. Lively ‘into oblivion’ has only created more liability for them, and deservedly so, given what they have done.”
Lively's statement continued as her defense added the harsh realities of women in the workplace after alleged behavior with their male coworkers. Baldoni and Lively worked on It Ends With Us — a film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's best-selling novel of the same name. Lively claims that Baldoni sexual harassed her on set and allegedly planned a smear campaign to tarnish her reputation. Baldoni is also suing Lively alongside her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds (who also recently filed to dismiss Baldoni's case) and publicist Leslie Sloane for $400 million. His lawsuit follows his separate legal action against The New York Times for using Lively's “unverified and self-serving narrative.”
“The painful reality is that Ms. Lively is not alone in being sued for defamation after speaking up about being sexually harassed at work. That is entirely why California recently enacted AB 933, the Privileged Communications Incident of Sexual Assault, Harassment, or Discrimination Act, which codified California civil code section 47.1. 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.”
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What Did Justin Baldoni Have To Say About Blake Lively's Act To Dismiss His Lawsuit?
After Lively's statement, Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freeman responded to the news of the actress wanting to have the It Ends With Us director dismiss his lawsuit.
“Ms. Lively’s recent motion to dismiss herself from the self-concocted disaster she initiated is one of the most abhorrent examples of abusing our legal system. Stringent rules are put into place to protect the innocent and allow individuals to rightfully defend themselves,” Freedman said. “Laws are not meant to be twisted and curated by privileged elites to fit their own personal agenda. As we said yesterday in response to Mr. Reynolds’ same cowardly measures, we will continue to hold Ms. Lively accountable for her actions of pure malice which include falsely accusing my clients of harassment and retaliation. Her fantastical claims will be swiftly debunked as discovery moves forward, easily disproved with actual, evidentiary proof.”
Baldoni and Lively are set to take their lawsuits to trial next March.
