"We will continue to fight" - Justin Baldoni files response to Blake Lively’s motion to dismiss his countersuit

The legal conflict between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively continues as the actor/director, who was accused of s*xual harassment by the actress, files a response to Lively's motion to dismiss his $400 million countersuit, according to an April 4 publication by People Magazine. Baldoni filed a defamation lawsuit against Lively on January 16, 2025, after Blake's s*xual harassment lawsuit against him. Besides that, the actress also accused Baldoni of damaging her reputation over their behind-the-scenes fallout during the production of It Ends With Us.

According to Lively's attorneys, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, Baldoni's claims are nothing but an abuse of America's legal system. They called his claims "vengeful and rambling" while they filed Blake's motion to dismiss on March 20, 2025.

Justin Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, responds to Lively's attorneys' claims

However, Bryan Freedman, Baldoni's lawyer, stated that the reason behind Lively's request to dismiss his client's $400 million countersuit was that she failed to state a claim. Not only that, the actress also demanded punitive damages along with attorneys' fees, other costs, and damages.

However, Freedman claimed that Blake could not ask for attorneys' fees and damages, even if a dismissal is permitted, adding that Baldoni's complaint, which is "sufficient to defeat dissmisal," provides specific claims of defamation against the It Ends With Us actress.

According to court documents acquired by People Magazine, Freedman responded to the motion on April 3, 2025, in New York's Southern District Court. Bryan Freedman's statement, as provided to People Magazine, says:

"Ms. Lively and her circle of Hollywood elites cannot prevent my clients from exercising their constitutional right to petition the court to clear their names from her false and harmful claims."

Regarding Bake Lively's motion to dismiss, Baldoni's lawyer further added:

"What Ms. Lively is attempting to do is to set a dangerous precedent by barring the courthouse doors to my clients and punishing them for having their day in court, a right protected by the First Amendment."

Folowing this, Bryan Freedman continued and said:

"This right protects not only Mr. Baldoni and the Wayfarer parties in this particular case, but all Americans in the future who have false accusations levied against them and seek relief from our justice system. This must stop here, and we will continue to fight against this blatant attempt to block access to the court system and to weaken our nation’s Constitution to serve those who are in the position of power."

However, Lively's lawyers, Hudson and Gottlieb, mentioned the newly passed California Civil Section 47.1, which forbids any kind of retaliatory lawsuits related to public disclosures of s*xual harassment. Freedman, addressing it, said, to apply that, the court would have to determine "that she acted alone and without malice and that she had a reasonable basis for her claims."