Blake Lively filed a motion to dismiss Justin Baldoni’s defamation and civil extortion lawsuit against her on Thursday.
Lively’s legal team claimed Baldoni used the lawsuit as a “blunt public relations instrument” designed to further the actor’s “sinister campaign” to destroy his “It Ends With Us” co-star’s reputation, according to the lawsuit obtained by Fox News Digital.
“This lawsuit is a profound abuse of the legal process that has no place in federal court,” Lively’s lawyers, Mike Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, said in a statement. “California law now expressly prohibits suing victims who make the decision to speak out against sexual harassment or retaliation, whether in a lawsuit or in the press. This meritless and retaliatory lawsuit runs head first into three legal obstacles, including the litigation, fair report, and sexual harassment privileges, the latter of which contains a mandatory fee shifting provision that will require the likes of billionaire Steve Sarowitz, Wayfarer Studios, and others that brought frivolous defamation claims against Ms. Lively to pay damages. In other words, in an epic self-own, the Wayfarer Parties’ attempt to sue Ms. Lively ‘into oblivion’ has only created more liability for them, and deservedly so, given what they have done.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
