Blake Lively has joined her husband Ryan Reynolds in submitting a movement to be dismissed from Justin Baldoni’s lawsuit, calling Baldoni’s claims a “profound abuse” of the authorized system.
What did Blake Full of life’s movement for dismissal say?
Based on a brand new movement filed by Full of life and her authorized staff (through Deadline), Full of life cites a California misconduct legislation that protects people who report sexual misconduct from retaliatory lawsuits. Full of life’s authorized staff declare that their movement matches completely into that, noting that Baldoni is “weaponizing” his defamation lawsuit.
“The legislation prohibits weaponizing defamation lawsuits, like this one, to retaliate towards people who’ve filed authorized claims or have publicly spoken out about sexual harassment and retaliation,” the movement reads, partly.
The movement additionally argues that Baldoni’s countersuit is nothing however the filmmaker being vindictive towards Full of life, a transfer her authorized staff describes as an “abuse of the authorized course of.”
“This lawsuit is a profound abuse of the authorized course of that has no place in federal court docket,” Mike Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, attorneys for Full of life, mentioned in a press release. “California legislation now expressly prohibits suing victims who make the choice to talk out towards sexual harassment or retaliation, whether or not in a lawsuit or within the press.”
The precise legislation they’re citing within the movement, Meeting Invoice 933, was added to California legislation in 2023 and protects people who make statements about harassment, assault, or discrimination from defamation claims except they acted with real malice. Ought to the court docket grant Full of life’s movement, Baldoni’s lawsuit could be dismissed and the filmmaker could be compelled to pay for Full of life’s authorized charges as nicely.
Reynolds filed to dismiss the go well with this week
In a movement to dismiss filed this week (through Deadline), Reynolds and his authorized staff mentioned that Baldoni’s total cause for suing Reynolds are primarily based round two occasions the place Reynolds allegedly known as Baldoni a “predator,” in addition to the looks of “Nicepool” in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, a personality that Baldoni claims was made and included to mock him.
“Everything of Plaintiffs’ defamation declare seems to be primarily based on two occasions that Mr. Reynolds allegedly known as Mr. Baldoni a ‘predator,’” the movement reads, partly. “However, the FAC alleges no believable details that recommend Mr. Reynolds didn’t consider this remark to be true.”
Reynolds’ authorized staff, led by Mike Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, continued to tear down Baldoni’s lawsuit, calling it nothing extra of a “gossip rag” stuffed with “thin-skinned outrage” than an precise authorized doc. Though Reynolds’ movement doesn’t precisely deny Reynolds calling Baldoni a predator, it does say that even when that occurred, it doesn’t represent defamation if Reynolds truly believes it.
“Everything of Mr. Baldoni’s case seems to be primarily based on Mr. Reynolds allegedly privately calling Mr. Baldoni a ‘predator,’ however right here is the issue, that isn’t defamation except they will present that Mr. Reynolds didn’t consider that assertion to be true,” the movement states. “The grievance doesn’t allege that, and simply the other, the allegations within the grievance recommend that Mr. Reynolds genuinely believes Mr. Baldoni is a predator.
“Mr. Reynolds’ spouse has accused Mr. Baldoni — privately and in a number of complaints — of sexual harassment and retaliation, and as identified by Mr. Reynolds’ movement, Mr. Baldoni has additionally brazenly spoken about his previous of mistreating girls and pushing the boundaries of consent. Mr. Reynolds has a First Modification proper to specific his opinion of Mr. Baldoni, which ought to be comforting to a bunch of people that have repeatedly known as Ms. Full of life and Mr. Reynolds ‘bullies’ and different names over the previous 12 months.”
