Blake Lively’s lawyers have issued a statement rejecting claims that her legal battle against Justin Baldoni is a ‘feud’ over creative differences on the film It Ends With Us. The legal team said the case concerns ‘serious claims of sexual harassment and retaliation’ that are ‘backed by concrete facts’.
‘This is not a “feud” arising from “creative differences” or a “he said/she said” situation,’ the statement reads. ‘As alleged in Ms. Lively’s complaint, and as we will prove in litigation, Wayfarer [Studios] and its associates engaged in unlawful, retaliatory astroturfing against Ms. Lively for simply trying to protect herself and others on a film set.’
Lively filed a complaint in December accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment on set and of mounting a smear campaign during the film’s release. Baldoni subsequently filed a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times, which first published Lively’s complaint.
Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, confirmed in a video interview that Baldoni ‘absolutely’ plans to sue Lively herself, adding that the smear campaign accusation is ‘100%’ false. Freedman also said he was willing to make all text messages public.
In their latest statement, Lively’s lawyers addressed Freedman’s media appearances: ‘Media statements are not a defence to Ms. Lively’s legal claims. We will continue to prosecute her claims in federal court, where the rule of law determines who prevails, not hyperbole and threats.’
