Justin Baldoni’s Lawyer Slams Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds in Explosive Legal Battle

The legal fight between It Ends With Us co-stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni has intensified. After a series of legal motions and filings, Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, has strongly criticized Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.

Lively recently filed a motion to dismiss herself from the case, which Freedman called “one of the most abhorrent examples of abusing our legal system.” He argued that Lively and her legal team are trying to twist laws to suit their own interests.

Lively, Reynolds, the New York Times, and PR executive Leslie Sloane are all attempting to exit Baldoni’s $400 million defamation and extortion lawsuit. Lively’s lawyers claim a 2023 California law protects her from legal action in this case. However, Baldoni and his team firmly reject this claim.

As of now, no settlement discussions are taking place, and the trial is scheduled to begin on March 9, 2026, in New York City.

Freedman continues to challenge Lively’s claims, saying: “Stringent rules are put into place to protect the innocent and allow individuals to rightfully defend themselves. Laws are not meant to be twisted and curated by privileged elites to fit their own personal agenda.”

He insists Lively made false claims of harassment and retaliation, which will be disproven with evidence as the case moves forward.

On Thursday night, Baldoni’s legal team filed responses to Lively’s amended complaint instead of seeking a dismissal. Freedman explained their approach:

“We strategically made decisions to file answers to these complaints. This is not because we do not have grounds to file motions to dismiss but because … we are not interested in providing them with a chance to learn just how poorly their legal theory has been drafted and a road map on how to correct it.”

“Ryan and Blake are going to have to dance with the one that brought them here and if they expect us to help educate them on how to do this properly then they are going to the hardware store for milk.”

As we said in response to Mr. Reynolds’ same cowardly measures, we will continue to hold Ms. Lively accountable for her actions of pure malice which include falsely accusing my clients of harassment and retaliation. Her fantastical claims will be swiftly debunked as discovery moves forward, easily disproved with actual, evidentiary proof.

Lively’s team strongly disagrees with Baldoni’s legal stance. A spokesperson for the actress said: “The late-night flurry of answers — instead of motions to dismiss — reveal that the Baldoni, Steve Sarowitz, and Wayfarer defendants know that they have no legal arguments remotely capable of dismissing our complaint.”

Lively’s team believes their case is strong and that Baldoni’s lawsuit is a publicity stunt.

In addition to Lively and Baldoni’s legal battle, a related lawsuit involving publicists Stephanie Jones, Jennifer Abel, and Melissa Nathan is also unfolding.

Jones sued Baldoni, Abel, and Nathan in December, claiming they conspired to attack her business and steal clients. In response, Abel has now sued Jones, arguing that Jones unlawfully took her work phone and personal data after firing her.

Abel’s lawsuit states: “As a result, Abel lost access to her iCloud (including all her text messages, photos, and contacts), bank accounts, utilities, insurance, and virtually every other sensitive account.”

Freedman defended Abel and Nathan, stating:

“It is undeniable that Stephanie Jones initiated this catastrophic sequence of events by violating the most basic of privacy rights.”

Jones’ attorney, Kristin Tahler, responded:

“Ms. Jones’ lawsuit is based entirely on facts and concrete evidence. Abel, Nathan, Baldoni, and their co-defendants attempted to achieve these outcomes through bullying, distortion, and outright disparagement.”

The legal battle shows no signs of slowing down, with both sides determined to fight it out in court. The trial is still set for March 2026, and more filings are expected as the case unfolds.

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