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Justin Baldoni ‘Not Happy’ After Dismissal of USD 400M Lawsuit Against Blake Lively, Set to Fight Unfair Order
Justin Baldoni’s USD 400 million countersuit against Blake Lively has been dismissed, but his lawyer says the legal fight is far from over.
Trigger Warning: This article includes references to sexual harassment.
Actor and filmmaker Justin Baldoni was not happy with the court's recent decision to dismiss his USD 400 million lawsuit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. His lawyer, Bryan Freedman, shared Baldoni's reaction on TMZ Live on Tuesday, June 10, saying, "What was Justin's reaction to it? The same as my reaction to it, which is: It's not fair. It's not right."
Bryan Freedman said Justin Baldoni wants to be vindicated and added, "He knows who he is. He knows what he's done. He knows what he hasn't done. And he wants the truth to come out, and he wants to do that in the appropriate way.... He's waiting for his day in court, where he can speak out to tell the truth."
The judge, Lewis J. Liman, had dismissed both the USD 400 million countersuit against Lively and Reynolds and a USD 250 million libel suit against The New York Times on June 9. But the court gave Baldoni's legal team the option to amend parts of the case by June 23.
Despite the ruling, Freedman made it clear that the legal fight is ongoing. "This case is so far from over, let's just put it that way," he said.
Freedman also stated that they plan to proceed with Lively's deposition sometime in June. "We're gonna proceed forward with the case, and we're going to show that there was no sexual harassment, and we're going to show that there was no smear campaign."
Here's what Blake Lively's team said about the ruling
Blake Lively's lawyer, Mike Gottlieb, appeared on CNN on June 9 and said that the actress was committed to pursuing her claims and seeking full public accountability for what she alleged happened to her. He described the court's decision as a clear message that retaliatory lawsuits meant to silence victims would not succeed.
Later that day, Lively's legal team, including Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, issued a statement calling the ruling a total victory and complete vindication. Lively also posted on Instagram stories, referring to the countersuit as 'abusive' and saying it had been 'defeated.'
In response, Freedman dismissed their declaration of victory as predictable and false. He argued that Lively's allegations were no more valid now than before and said he looked forward to conducting her deposition in the near future.
On June 10, Lively's lawyers released another statement, saying that no amount of spin, bluster, or creative arguments from Baldoni's legal team could change what they described as the embarrassing reality that the attempt to sue Blake Lively and her family into oblivion had utterly failed.
Disclaimer: If you need support or know someone who is struggling with domestic violence or assault or abuse, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist, NGO or speak to someone about it. There are several helplines available for the same.
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