Justin Baldoni's 'more attacks' on Blake Lively are classic tactics to shift blame, say actress' lawyers
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Lawyers representing actress Blake Lively are condemning actor and director Justin Baldoni for allegedly continuing to direct attacks against her amid her claims of workplace misconduct.
The allegations stem from their collaboration on the film 'It Ends With Us', where Lively starred opposite Baldoni, who also directed the project.
Justin Baldoni is 'absolutely' planning to sue Blake Lively
Blake Lively, 37, filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department, accusing Justin Baldoni of creating a hostile work environment, including unwanted improvised kissing scenes.
The allegations also reflected on the smear campaign against Lively which The New York Times wrote in a detailed story titled: 'We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.
The allegations have since escalated into lawsuits from both parties, with Lively claiming retaliation and Baldoni denying the claims.
Baldoni filed a $250 million libel lawsuit against the Times for their report that he claimed pushed an "unverified and self-serving narrative."
However, Lively's attorney on Monday, January 6, maintained her claims are "backed by concrete facts."
Baldoni's lawyer revealed on January 2 that he "absolutely" plans to sue Blake on behalf of his client.
"We plan to release every single text message between the two of them," he told NBC News.
"We want the truth to be out there. We want the documents to be out there. We want people to make their determination based on receipts," the attorney added.
Blake Lively's lawyers accuse Justin Baldoni of 'unlawful retaliation'
Blake Lively's lawyers are accusing Justin Baldoni of "unlawful retaliation" following a libel lawsuit and his plans to sue the actress personally.
“This is not a ‘feud’ arising from 'creative differences' or a 'he said/she said' situation,” Lively’s legal team stated
According to the lawyers, “Wayfarer [Studios] and its associates engaged in unlawful, retaliatory astroturfing against Ms Lively for simply trying to protect herself and others on a film set.”
The legal team further alleged that Baldoni and his associates responded to the lawsuit by “launching more attacks” against the actress, Daily Mail reported
“Sexual harassment and retaliation are illegal in every workplace and in every industry,” the attorneys said in their statement.
Blake Lively alleges financial losses due to a 'smear campaign'
Blake Lively claimed in her lawsuit that the backlash she faced following the alleged smear campaign led to significant financial losses.
The lawsuit stated her haircare brand, Blake Brown, saw a 56-78 percent decline in sales.
“This dramatic drop was completely at odds with the high satisfaction scores that Blake Brown products received in the significant consumer testing performed before launch or its initial success after launch,” the lawsuit said.
Her two drink ranges, Betty Buzz and Betty Booze, were also reportedly affected by the controversy, causing further financial strain.
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Blake Lively's lawyers outline tactics to 'blame the victim'
Blake Lively's lawyers have accused Justin Baldoni of resorting to the "classic" act of reversing the blame by suggesting the victim is actually the offender.
“A classic tactic to distract from allegations of this type of misconduct is to 'blame the victim' by suggesting that they invited the conduct, brought it on themselves, misunderstood the intentions, or even lied,” the legal team argued.
The lawyers accused Baldoni’s team of using such tactics to reverse roles and portray him as the victim.
"Another classic tactic is to reverse the victim and offender, and suggest that the offender is actually the victim," they added.
“These concepts normalize and trivialize allegations of serious misconduct,” the statement continued.
“Most importantly, media statements are not a defense to Ms. Lively’s legal claims. We will continue to prosecute her claims in federal court, where the rule of law determines who prevails, not hyperbole and threats,” they concluded.
