“It will be supported by real evidence and tell the true story” — Justin Baldoni’s lawyer says countersuit against Blake Lively will “shock everyone”

Justin Baldoni's legal counsel, Bryan Freedman, is allegedly pushing back on claims that he made the work environment for Blake Lively hostile.

Freedman is reportedly preparing to file a countersuit against Lively in response to the complaint she filed against Baldoni on December 20. In an official statement to Deadline, Freedman rubbished all of Lively's complaints. While he failed to confirm or deny that a countersuit is forthcoming this January 2, he told the outlet:

"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. It will be supported by real evidence and tell the true story."

He went on:

"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.”

All we know about Justin Baldoni's alleged countersuit as he categorically denies any wrongdoing

Blake Lively filed an 80-page complaint in the California Civil Rights Department on December 20, accusing Justin Baldoni of misconduct. She claims he orchestrated a smear campaign to tarnish her public standing in addition to s*xually harassing her. Though not yet a lawsuit, the complaint also names Wayfarer Studios CEO Jamey Heath as a defendant.

At the time, Lively took to her Instagram story to pen the following:

"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.”

Justin Baldoni has since maintained his innocence, and as reported by US Weekly, at the time, Freedman called the claims “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious." He also accused Lively of filing the suit to fix her negative reputation” and “rehash a narrative” involving her image on set.

Furthermore, Freedman told the outlet that Lively made “multiple demands and threats” while filming the movie, including “threatening to not show up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release, if her demands were not met.”

As for the countersuit, Daily Mail was the first to break the news on Saturday. Deadline has reported that Justin Baldoni is now counter-accusing Lively and her PR team, led by Leslie Sloan, of attempting to tear down his public image instead.

Justin Baldoni's legal counsel also accuses Lively's publicist of spreading rumors in news outlets about him, in addition to the claims that her legal move is nothing but an attempt to regain her public standing following the bad press she received while promoting the film. Lively’s rep, Leslie Sloan, told Us Weekly in a statement:

"I was contacted on 8/11 by Sara Nathan (Melissa Nathan’s sister) forwarding an anonymous tip that Page Six received, regarding allegations of HR complaints on the set of It Ends with Us. After that, I was contacted by various press outlets asking about allegations of HR complaints. When contacted, I responded to press questions by referring them to Wayfarer or Sony for information regarding HR complaints.”

She went on:

"It’s clear that Mr. Baldoni and his Wayfarer Associates are suggesting that I originated press stories about HR complaints on set, which is false. Please read Ms. Lively’s Complaint and the Complaint filed by Jonesworks LLC and Stephanie Jones, which provides the details of the campaign against my client.”

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In the days following Lively's complaint, several prolific figures have come out in support of her. Justin Baldoni, however, was dropped by his WME agency. An award given to him just a week prior, relating to women's solidarity, had also been revoked.

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