Blake Lively filed a motion Thursday to dismiss Justin Baldoni's $400 million defamation lawsuit, invoking a California statute designed to protect sexual harassment accusers from retaliatory legal action. The actress argues that Baldoni's suit, which alleges she and husband Ryan Reynolds conspired to destroy his career, violates the state's recently enacted protections stemming from the #MeToo movement.
Lively's legal team, led by attorneys Mike Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, referenced California's AB 933, a law signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2023. The law was created to shield individuals who speak out about sexual harassment from being targeted by defamation claims. If the court grants the motion, Baldoni and co-defendants could be liable for Lively's attorneys' fees and damages.
"This lawsuit is a profound abuse of the legal process that has no place in federal court," Gottlieb and Hudson said in a joint 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."
The legal filing follows Reynolds' separate motion earlier this week to dismiss the same lawsuit. Reynolds labeled Baldoni's claims as "hurt feelings" and maintained that his statements regarding Baldoni's conduct were protected speech.
Baldoni, who directed and co-starred with Lively in the film It Ends With Us, accused Lively, Reynolds, and The New York Times of orchestrating a smear campaign designed to derail his career. He contended that the couple, leveraging their influence, pressured his agent at WME to sever ties and worked with media outlets to publicize false claims. Baldoni's complaint further alleges that Lively manipulated the film's production by threatening false allegations.
Lively's motion counters those claims, dismissing them as unsupported by facts. Her attorneys argue that communications about her harassment allegations are legally privileged and protected by law. "On the one hand, the Wayfarer Parties insist that Ms. Lively is an immensely powerful Hollywood superstar who, along with her influential husband, wielded power to steal creative control over the Film; but on the other hand, they claim she was so powerless that the only way she could have any power was by manufacturing sexual harassment allegations almost a year in advance in a Machiavellian long game," the motion stated.
The suit's timing follows publicized allegations by Lively, who claims Baldoni and others engaged in inappropriate behavior during the film's production. Her filing reiterates those claims, citing, among other examples, a simulated nude scene conducted without an intimacy coordinator and Baldoni's alleged off-script behavior during romantic scenes.
A spokesperson for Lively added, "The painful reality is that Ms. Lively is not alone in being sued for defamation after speaking up about being sexually harassed at work. While Ms. Lively has suffered greatly by speaking up and pursuing legal claims, it is important for other people to know that they have protections."
Baldoni's legal team has not yet responded to the motion.
Meanwhile, actress Jenny Slate, who co-starred in It Ends With Us, remained largely silent when asked about the case during a press tour for her upcoming FX series Dying for Sex.
The court's decision on Lively's motion is pending.
