Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively. (Photos by Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
Justin Baldoni’of the lawyer Bryan Freedman “absolutely” plans to sue Blake Lively on behalf of his client.
Freedman was asked by NBC News in an interview on Thursday, Jan. 2, whether he was planning to sue Lively, 37, on behalf of It ends with Us director. Freedman replied, “Absolutely … yes.”
“We plan to release every single message between them,” Freedman told the media. “We want the truth to be out there. We want the documents to be there. We want people to decide based on the bills.”
It comes after Baldoni, 40, filed a $250 million lawsuit against New York Times on Tuesday, December 31. The actor and director is sued for defamation and violation of false light of privacy after The New York Times’ reporting on costar Lively after she sued him for sexual harassment.
It Ends With Us director and star Justin Baldoni has filed a lawsuit against The New York Times following its reporting on actor Blake Lively after she sued him for sexual harassment. Baldoni, 40, filed a $250 million lawsuit against Lively, 37, on Tuesday, Dec. 31 in Los Angeles Superior Court, Us Weekly can confirm. (…)
Baldoni was one of 10 plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which also includes publicists Melissa Nathan AND Jennifer Abel as well as It ends with Us producers James Heath AND Steve Saraowitzwho started legal proceedings against the media.
That same day, Baldoni sued New York TimesLively formally filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, Nathan and Abel, along with Wayfarer Studios in the Southern District of New York.
The suit alleged sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and loss of wages. The allegations parallel those made in Lively’s complaint filed with the California Department of Civil Rights last week.
Lively spoke about her legal action in a statement on Saturday, December 21 Us Weekly.
“I hope my legal action will help pull back the curtain on these evil retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and help protect others who may be targeted,” she said.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. (Photo by Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
or New York Times the spokesman said Us Weekly in a statement on Tuesday, December 31 that the media is planning to “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.”
“The role of an independent news organization is to follow the facts where they lead,” the statement said. “Our story was reported accurately and responsibly. It was based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including text messages and emails that we quote accurately and extensively in the article. Those texts and emails were also the focus of a discrimination claim filed in California by Blake Lively against Justin Baldoni and his associates.”
The statement continued: “To address some inaccuracies in the lawsuit, when we sought comments from Mr. Baldoni and others to be named in the article, The Times shared the information we intended to publish, including references to specific messages and documents, asked them to identify any inaccuracies, provide additional context and speak with our team. Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer and the other entities chose not to have any conversation with The Times or address any of the specific messages or documents and emailed a joint response, which was published in full. (Also, they sent their response to The Times at 11:16 p.m. ET Dec. 20, not 2:16 a.m. ET Dec. 21 as the complaint states.)”
In response to Baldoni’s filing of the lawsuit, Lively’s attorney said us on Tuesday, Dec. 31, that the lawsuit was based on a “manifestly false premise.”
“Nothing in this lawsuit changes anything about the allegations made in Ms. Lively’s California Department of Civil Rights Complaint, nor her federal complaint filed earlier today,” the statement said. “This lawsuit is based on the obviously false premise that the administrative complaint of Ms. Lively v. Wayfarer et al was a ruse based on a choice “not to file a lawsuit against Baldon, Wayfarer” and that “litigation was never her ultimate goal.” As shown by the federal complaint filed by Ms. Lively earlier today, that frame of reference for the Wayfarer lawsuit is bogus. While we will not discuss this matter in print, we encourage people to read Ms. Lively as a whole. We look forward to addressing each of Wayfarer’s claims in court.”
Freedman also shared a statement with Us Weeklyvowing to “put down” New York Times for her “vicious smear campaign”.
“In this vicious smear campaign completely orchestrated by Blake Lively and her team, New York Times bowing to the whims and whims of two powerful Hollywood ‘untouchable’ elites, flouting the journalistic practices and ethics that once graced the venerable publication, using doctored and doctored texts and deliberately omitting texts that contradict the narrative of their chosen PR,” he said in a statement to us on Tuesday, December 31. “In doing so, they predetermined the outcome of their story and aided and abetted their own destructive PR smear campaign designed to revive Lively’s self-induced battered public image and counter the organic basis of criticism among the public online. The irony is rich.”
He continued: “Make no mistake though, as we all come together to bring down NY Times By not allowing them to deceive the public any longer, we will continue this campaign of authenticity by also prosecuting those individuals who have abused their power to attempt to destroy the lives of my clients. While their side embraces partial truths, we embrace the whole truth – and have all the communications to back it up. The public will make up their own minds as they did when it first started.”
