In a fiery response to Blake Lively’s recent motion to dismiss, Justin Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, condemned the actress’s actions as “abhorrent” and accused her of abusing the legal system. Lively’s motion, filed on March 20, 2025, seeks to have Baldoni’s $400 million lawsuit dismissed. The lawsuit, which was filed by Baldoni in January, accuses Lively of sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign against him during the production of It Ends With Us.
Lively’s attorneys, Mike Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, dismissed Baldoni’s legal claims as “vengeful and rambling,” calling them a “profound abuse of the legal process” and asserting that the lawsuit had no grounds to be heard in federal court. The actress’s legal team further described Baldoni’s lawsuit as an attempt to silence her after her own allegations of harassment against Baldoni and other key figures involved with the production of It Ends With Us.
In his response, Freedman strongly criticized Lively’s motion, calling it one of the most egregious abuses of the legal process. “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,” Freedman stated. “Laws are not meant to be twisted and curated by privileged elites to fit their own personal agenda.”
Freedman also referenced a similar motion filed by Lively’s husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, on March 18. Reynolds, 48, sought to have Baldoni’s defamation lawsuit against him dismissed, and Freedman remarked that both motions were “cowardly” attempts to avoid accountability. “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,” Freedman added. “Her fantastical claims will be swiftly debunked as discovery moves forward, easily disproved with actual, evidentiary proof.”
The legal conflict between the two stars began in December 2024, when Lively filed a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign orchestrated by Baldoni, It Ends With Us producer Jamey Heath, Wayfarer Studios co-founder Steve Sarowitz, and others. Lively’s lawsuit contends that she was subjected to an unfair and hostile working environment during the making of the film. Lively’s allegations included claims of retaliation for speaking out about her treatment during production. She also claimed that Baldoni and his team sought to damage her reputation after she brought these issues to light.
Baldoni, in response, filed his own lawsuit in January 2025, targeting Lively, Reynolds, their publicist Leslie Sloane, and Sloane’s PR firm Vision PR, Inc. He accused them of being involved in a behind-the-scenes campaign that he argued was aimed at damaging his reputation as well. The crux of Baldoni’s legal action is his claim of defamation, arguing that Reynolds and Lively’s public statements about him were both false and malicious.
On Thursday, Lively’s legal team filed their motion to dismiss the lawsuit, calling it “legally groundless” and accusing Baldoni of launching a “retaliatory lawsuit” in response to her claims of harassment. They argued that under California law, the lawsuit is prohibited because it seeks to punish a victim who speaks out against sexual harassment or retaliation, which is protected under California Civil Code Section 47.1.
ADVERTISEMENT
Lively’s lawyers pointed out that the new law explicitly prohibits retaliatory lawsuits that seek to intimidate individuals who have made public disclosures about sexual harassment or retaliation. “California law now expressly prohibits suing victims who speak out against sexual harassment or retaliation, whether in a lawsuit or in the press,” Lively’s legal team stated in their filing.
In their defense of Lively, Gottlieb and Hudson referenced the litigation privilege and fair report privileges as key obstacles to Baldoni’s lawsuit. They also accused Baldoni and his co-defendants of misusing the legal system to try to silence Lively’s voice and diminish the serious nature of her allegations. The motion additionally suggested that Baldoni’s claims were part of an effort to punish Lively for speaking publicly about her experiences on set.
“Her fantastical claims will be swiftly debunked as discovery moves forward,” Freedman said, vowing to hold Lively accountable for what he describes as a “malicious” campaign against him and his team.
The ongoing legal battle between Baldoni and Lively has garnered significant attention, as both stars have become embroiled in a highly publicized dispute over allegations of harassment, defamation, and retaliation during the making of It Ends With Us. The two actors have yet to comment directly on the contents of their lawsuits, but the legal drama has already become a subject of media fascination, with many speculating about the impact it could have on both of their careers.
The case is expected to continue through the courts, with a trial set for March 2026. In the meantime, both Lively and Baldoni remain locked in a bitter legal battle, with no sign of resolution in sight. Both sides have made it clear they intend to press forward with their claims and hold the other accountable for their alleged actions.
The high-profile nature of the case, combined with the involvement of well-known celebrities like Lively, Reynolds, and Baldoni, ensures that the legal battle will likely remain in the public eye for the foreseeable future. As the discovery process moves forward, more details are expected to emerge that could further fuel the already intense media scrutiny surrounding the lawsuit.
ADVERTISEMENT
