Justin Baldoni’s Lawyer Slams Accusations Against Actor Blake Lively

Justin Baldoni‘ a lawyer Bryan Freedman fired back at Blake Livelyresponse to the director’s $400 million lawsuit.

“After my clients filed a comprehensive lawsuit filled with nearly 200 pages of undeniable facts and documentary evidence that crushed their false claims of a smear campaign by providing doctored communications to The New York TimesBlake and her legal team have only one hideous pivot left, which is to double down on the outrageously false sexual allegations against Mr. Baldoni,” Freedman told Closing date in a statement on Saturday, January 18,.

Baldoni, 40, sued Lively, 37, earlier this weekseeking $400 million in damages. In the filing obtained by UsBaldoni’s legal team claimed that Lively was “determined to make Baldoni the real villain in her story” to cover up her allegedly “tone-deaf” promotion of their film It Ends With Us.

Baldoni directed and starred in the 2024 adaptation of Colleen Hoover‘ a novel about an abusive relationship. Vividly portrayed protagonist Lily Bloom on screen and also served as an executive producer. Baldoni played Lily’s husband, Ryle Kincaid.

Related: Justin Baldoni Breaks Silence in Rare Appearance at Blake Lively League

Justin Baldoni is weighing in on his loved ones amid his ongoing legal battle against Blake Lively. “We’re grateful to be with the family, man,” Baldoni, 40, told photographers Friday, Jan. 17, at Los Angeles International Airport in a video obtained by TMZ. “We have amazing friends and family and faith.” Baldoni shares daughter Maiya, (…)

Months after the film premieres in August 2024, Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and fostering a “hostile work environment.” She also claimed in her lawsuit in December 2024 that Baldoni tried to coordinate an intense campaign to ruin her reputation. (Freedman, on behalf of Baldoni, denied the allegations at the time.)

Shortly after Baldoni sued Lively last week – also naming her husband, Ryan Reynoldsand their team of publicists in the suit – she denied the accusations.

“This latest lawsuit by Justin Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its associates is another chapter in the abusers’ playbook. This is a timeless story: A woman speaks up with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation and the abuser tries to turn the tables on the victim,” Lively’s lawyers said Us in a statement. “This is what experts call DARVO. Denial Attack. Reverse Victim Offender. Wayfarer has chosen to use the resources of its billionaire co-founder to issue media releases, launch frivolous lawsuits, and threaten litigation to overwhelm the public’s ability to understand that what they are doing is retaliating against allegations of sexual harassment.”

Related: Blake Lively’s Lawyers Deny ‘More Assaults’ By Justin Baldoni

Update: 1/7/24, 12 pm ET – Bryan Freedman, who is Justin Baldoni’s lawyer, issued the following statement in response to Lively’s team: “It is painfully ironic that Blake Lively is accusing Justin Baldoni of arming the media when she owns it. the team orchestrated this vicious attack by sending heavily redacted documents to the New York Times before (…)

The publishers named in the suit also issued a statement.

“It is devastating that we are being forced to answer this vicious and selfish ongoing litigation filled with documented and proven lies in the midst of the tragedy affecting California where we live ,” the statement said. Us is reading “Five months ago Ms. Lively promoted a film about domestic violence in a way that caused an immediate negative and organic backlash due to her very publicity actions. Instead of accepting responsibility, she decided to blame us cruelly. This malicious attack on private individuals by Ms. Lively and her team where they chose to spoon feed The New York Times with text messages doctored, out of context and edited in an effort to paint himself as a victim, setting off a chain of events that has been damaging beyond measure.”

The message continued, “To be clear, Ms. Lively and her team this smear campaign in the media with the sole intention of generating undeserved sympathy among the public for her own misdeeds. Over the past month we have received death threats, vile abuse and vile anti-semitic slurs hurled at us because of her decision to use us as a scapegoat for her own choices in promoting her movie where she made millions of dollars . With this filing, we are lifting our own curtain on what happens when the entitled wield power, fear and money to destroy, intimidate and bully those who violate their way.”

Baldoni, meanwhile, has been continue to focus on his family in light of the situation.

“We’re grateful to be with the family, man,” he told photographers at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday, January 17. “We have amazing friends and family and faith.”

Baldoni shares daughter Maiya, 9, and son Maxwell, 7, with his wife, Emily Baldoni.