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Blake Lively Calls Out Justin Baldoni for 'Abandoning' Female Advocacy: 'Women Should Not Have Their Voices Heard...'
Blake Lively accuses Justin Baldoni of contradicting his support for women’s rights, as 19 advocacy groups file briefs backing her in a defamation lawsuit.
Blake Lively has accused her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni of contradicting his long-standing public advocacy for women. The actress’s team issued a strong statement on June 5, saying Baldoni’s defamation lawsuit against her undermines the values he once promoted through platforms like his TED Talks, podcasts, and interviews.
During the film’s promotional campaign, Baldoni partnered with NO MORE, an organization focused on ending domestic violence and sexual assault, as per US Weekly. At the time, he said, “It’s easy to ask, especially as men, ‘Why do women stay?’ But the real question we need to ask is, ‘Why do men harm?’” He called the story of It Ends With Us difficult but important and expressed gratitude for the partnership with @nomoreorg.
However, Blake Lively now claims Justin Baldoni’s legal actions contradict his public statements. “Rather than defend his case on the facts, Baldoni is now contradicting years of his own public persona,” her spokesperson said.
They added that he is abandoning the message of his #MeToo YouTube’s, podcasts, TED Talks, and interviews, where he once upon a time urged men ‘to listen to the women in your life…to hold their anguish and actually believe them, even if what they’re saying is against you.’
Here are the 19 women’s advocacy groups backing Blake Lively in legal battle
Lively’s team revealed that 19 women’s rights and survivors’ organizations have signed onto four separate amicus briefs in support of her. The groups include Sanctuary for Families, National Organization for Women, Women’s Justice NOW, Equal Rights Advocates, and Child USA.
“These organizations are united in opposing Justin Baldoni’s attempt to dismantle a law designed to protect women who speak up, simply to protect himself,” Lively’s team said in the statement. “They are sounding the alarm about his DARVO tactics and the chilling effect they could have beyond this case.”
DARVO, short for Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender, is a tactic where perpetrators deny accusations, attack the victim’s credibility, and portray themselves as victims. The briefs argue that Baldoni’s lawsuit reflects these tactics and could discourage others from coming forward.
In response, Baldoni’s legal team has reportedly challenged the inclusion of the amicus briefs, stating the organizations should not have their voices heard.
According to the briefs, the lawsuit against Lively is the prototypical suit that California’s AB 933 law was meant to prevent. One excerpt from Child USA stated that such lawsuits allow perpetrators to weaponize the judicial system to discredit survivor accounts.
The latest updates come just days after Judge Lewis Liman ruled on June 2 that Lively’s emotional distress claims would not move forward after her legal team withdrew them. The judge also rejected Baldoni’s request for her private therapy and medical records, stating they were no longer relevant.
Despite the dismissal of some claims, the case continues to receive support from prominent advocacy groups. Lively’s spokesperson said that these briefs add the voices of renowned nonprofits, victim advocates, and experts dedicated to safeguarding the rights of people who speak up.
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