Justin Baldoni’s Lawyer Shares Statement On Blake Lively’s Complaint
And accused her of “media manipulation.”
On Dec. 20, Blake Lively filed a bombshell legal complaint, alleging that Justin Baldoni sexually harassed her and launched a smear campaign against her. Now, it looks like a countersuit to that potential lawsuit is underway — one that will “shock everyone,” per Bryan Freedman, Baldoni’s lawyer.
The Daily Mail reported that Freedman would be filing a countersuit on behalf of Baldoni on Jan. 2. While Freedman would not confirm the outlet’s report, he told Deadline on Dec. 28 to stay on “standby” for a “shock[ing]” lawsuit to come.
“I am not going to speak to when or how many lawsuits we are filing but when we file our first lawsuit, it is going to shock everyone who has been manipulated into believing a demonstrably false narrative,” Freedman told the outlet. “It will be supported by real evidence and tell the true story. In over 30 years of practicing, I have never seen this level of unethical behavior intentionally fueled through media manipulation. It reminds me of what NBC tried to do to Megyn Kelly and Gabrielle Union and we all know how that ended up. Standby.”
Per the Daily Mail, the reported countersuit claims that Lively’s PR team launched a smear campaign against Baldoni and planted stories about the Jane the Virgin actor. The reported suit also alleges that the messages between Baldoni and his team (which were released in Lively’s complaint) were shared out of context in a misleading manner. That’s not all. Per the Daily Mail, the countersuit claims that Lively’s legal complaint was only filed to restore her own image.
Lively’s complaint, which was published by the New York Times on Dec. 21, detailed alleged sexual harassment by Baldoni on the set of It Ends With Us. Per the complaint, it’s alleged that Baldoni and his company Wayfarer also used “social manipulation” to “destroy” Lively’s reputation.
In a statement to the New York Times, Lively said, “I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted.”
At the time, Freedman also released a statement to the outlet. “It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives,” Freedman said on Dec. 21.
