Justin Baldoni’s Lawyer Says They’ll Show Blake Lively’s “Pattern of Bullying”

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Justin Baldoni‘s legal team is responding to a new statement from Blake Lively‘s legal team.

Here’s the most recent exchange of words in the ongoing legal dispute and public image battle between the two entities, captivating the entire industry.

Lawyer Bryan Freedman for Baldoni hinted at more details to come regarding the actor, likely included in an impending counter-lawsuit, according to a statement made on Tuesday and confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter.

It’s quite ironic, isn’t it, that Blake Lively is pointing fingers at Justin Baldoni for manipulating the media, given that her team apparently initiated this malicious campaign by supplying the New York Times with doctored documents before even lodging a complaint.” He added. “We’re making all the evidence public, which will expose a recurring pattern of intimidation and threats aimed at controlling the movie. This won’t be shocking, as it aligns with her previous behavior – Blake Lively has used others to convey threats and coerce her way to get what she wanted. We have the proof and much more.

The response made by them was directed at a statement issued by Baldoni’s legal team on Monday to People magazine, where they were accused of attempting to divert attention and launch attacks through the media. This tactic, they said, is a common strategy used to tarnish the reputation of someone who has been a victim of sexual harassment.

According to Lively’s legal team, the dispute isn’t due to creative disagreements or hearsay issues. Instead, as stated in Ms. Lively’s complaint and what we will demonstrate in court, Wayfarer [Studios] and their affiliates have illegally retaliated by astroturfing against Ms. Lively because she was safeguarding herself and others on a film set. And since the lawsuit was filed, they have continued to attack Ms. Lively further.

A common strategy to divert attention from such misconduct accusations is to ‘shift the blame’ onto the accuser, implying they somehow encouraged, brought about, or misinterpreted the actions, or were even dishonest. Another frequent tactic is to swap the roles of victim and offender, claiming that the supposed offender was actually the victim. These approaches make serious allegations seem routine and trivial. It’s crucial to note that media declarations do not serve as a defense in Ms. Lively’s legal case. We will persist in pursuing her claims in federal court, where the truth, not exaggeration or intimidation, decides the outcome.

In her initial complaint filed in Dec 20, Lively alleged that the director and co-star of her movie “It Ends with Us” sexually harassed her on set and subsequently orchestrated a malicious smear campaign against her. An article published by the Times further detailed these accusations, revealing sensational text messages between Baldoni’s PR and crisis management team.

Previously, Lively filed a lawsuit in New York federal court last week, charging Baldoni and his PR team with orchestrating a complex, multi-layered strategy to tarnish her reputation as retribution for her allegations of sexual misconduct on set. The lawsuit specifically names Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer, and public relations representatives Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, who are alleged to have spearheaded the attempt to harm Lively’s acting career.

Lively’s legal representatives declared that she faced additional reprisals and assaults following her disclosure of misconduct accusations against Baldoni and his PR team in a report published by The Times. They asserted that Wayfarer and its allies have broken both federal and California state laws by retaliating against her for reporting instances of sexual harassment and workplace safety issues.

One of the numerous allegations made is that Baldoni attempted to include an explicit sex scene in the script without Lively’s consent, causing her character to climax on-screen. She further claims that Baldoni questioned her about personal aspects of her relationship with Ryan Reynolds. Lively asserts that Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath coerced her into performing certain actions for scenes not initially planned in the script. Additionally, she alleges that Heath and Baldoni entered her hair and makeup trailer unexpectedly on various occasions while she was dressing privately. Moreover, Lively states that she repeatedly voiced concerns about Baldoni and Heath’s alleged misconduct, but these concerns were frequently ignored without investigation.

A week ago, Baldoni initiated a libel lawsuit worth $250 million against the Times, alleging they colluded with Lively to manipulate facts for misleading readers. This manipulation involved selective reporting, like omitting from one exchange that Lively had invited Baldoni into her trailer during breastfeeding.

In this orchestrated defamation strategy led by Blake Lively and her associates, it was apparent that the New York Times yielded to the demands of two influential figures in Hollywood, disregarding their usual commitment to journalistic integrity. This was evident in their use of fabricated and manipulated content, as well as the deliberate exclusion of contradictory information that would challenge their predetermined narrative. In effect, they became accomplices in this PR smear campaign aimed at rejuvenating Lively’s faltering public image and counteracting the growing criticism from online communities. The irony lies in the fact that they were essentially contributing to the very problem they claimed to be reporting on.

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2025-01-08 01:54