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Justin Baldoni’s lawyer has furiously hit out at Blake Lively’s response to his £320 million lawsuit against her.
I know, it all seems like a tennis rally of lawsuits and statements at the moment but after Lively filed hers back in December, It Didn’t End with Her.
Baldoni’s attorneys filed on behalf of him, producer Jamey Heath, publicist Jennifer Abel and crisis publicist Melissa Nathan, last week for defamation.
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He and his team say Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, took certain measures to gain control over the film, It Ends with Us, and tried to damage their careers by making false claims of sexual harassment.
This filing included images of Baldoni and his guests having to wait in a ‘holding area’ during the premiere.
But Lively’s team aren’t having it and not long after this latest lawsuit was filed, told Deadline: “This latest lawsuit from Justin Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and its associates is another chapter in the abuser playbook.
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“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.”
And now, keeping up this tennis rally, Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, has slammed the star.
“After my clients filed a comprehensive lawsuit packed with almost 200 pages of undeniable facts and documentary evidence which crushed their false allegations of a smear campaign by providing doctored communications to the New York Times, Blake and her legal team have just one heinous pivot left, and that is to double down on the revoltingly false sexual allegations against Mr. Baldoni,” he said.
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Baldoni’s team initially called Lively’s claims against him ‘categorically false’, with Freedman double downing on that in his response.
The lawyer added: “The mere fact that Ms. Lively feels that she can publicly destroy Mr. Baldoni’s reputation in an attempt to devastate his future career and then deny him or his team their own ability to defend theirselves against her is preposterous.
"Mr Baldoni never once publicly attempted to call Ms. Lively out for her own many wrongdoings during filming, he kindly addressed all her concerns during filming in the correct manner despite the fact that he wholly disagreed, he himself was committed to do things differently and to keep the peace as she specifically admitted to in her own lawsuit.
"We will not only continue to defend our clients against Blake’s power, privilege and all out lies, but we will now fight even harder for the voiceless in the DV community who are unfairly suffering while she continues to push on her own self-serving and selfish vendetta in the media.”
Everything included in Justin Baldoni's lawsuit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds:
Control and extortion
Baldoni has accused Lively and her husband of hijacking the production and promotion of the film.
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The plaintiffs say the pair allegedly took over the creative aspects of the film without permission.
Defamation and false allegations
It has also been claimed that Lively made false allegations of sexual and other harassment against Baldoni, dubbed as a 'smear campaign'.
"This is a case about two of the most powerful stars in the world deploying their enormous power to steal an entire film right out of the hands of its director and production studio," the suit says.
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"Then, when Lively and Reynolds’ efforts failed to win them the acclaim they believed they so richly deserved, they turned their fury on their chosen scapegoat."
Marketing conflicts
Baldoni claims Lively allegedly didn't address the film's sensitive subject matter of domestic violence during the promotional campaign.
"Heartbreakingly, a film that Baldoni envisioned years ago would honour the survivors of domestic violence by telling their story, with the lofty goal of making a positive impact in the world, has now been overshadowed beyond recognition solely as a result of Lively’s actions and cruelty," the lawsuit says.
Professional and personal damages
Given Baldoni's exclusion from the film's promotion, it's been argued that Lively's actions caused professional harm to the director.
They have also cited personal humiliation, watching the film at a separate viewing theatre during the premiere.
"Surrounded by close friends, family, soda bottles, and a lot of love, the irony of being held in a basement on what was arguably one of the most important nights of Baldoni's career thus far, was not lost on anyone," the complaint reads.
The lawsuit also claims that Lively allegedly told Baldoni to get a nose job, but the director 'brushed it off and moved on with the scene'.
Collaborative breakdown
Following a breakdown in the relationship, Lively allegedly demanded more control of the script edits and wardrobe decisions, the suit claims.
Reynolds and their team allegedly took over the creative aspects of the film.
False narrative and media manipulation
"Lively knew full well that making those allegations would be a career death sentence for Plaintiffs, especially given that Baldoni has lived his private and public life as an impassioned advocate for gender equality and healthy masculinity," the lawsuit says.
Freedman told Newsweek: "This lawsuit is a legal action based on an overwhelming amount of untampered evidence detailing Blake Lively and her team's duplicitous attempt to destroy Justin Baldoni, his team and their respective companies by disseminating grossly edited, unsubstantiated, new and doctored information to the media.
"It is clear based on our own all out willingness to provide all complete text messages, emails, video footage and other documentary evidence that was shared between the parties in real time, that this is a battle she will not win and will certainly regret. Blake Lively was either severely misled by her team or intentionally and knowingly misrepresented the truth."
Topics: Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Celebrity
Jess Battison