New York: Blake Lively has responded after a judge on Monday dismissed the lawsuit filed by It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni against her after she sued him for sexual harassment and retaliation.
US District Court Judge Lewis Liman’s decision is the latest development in the bitter legal battle surrounding the dark romantic drama that includes Lively suing Baldoni in late December.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.Credit: AP
In a statement posted as an Instagram Story, Lively said she had last week “stood proudly alongside 19 organisations united in defending women’s rights to speak up for their safety”.
“Like so many others, I’ve felt the pain of a retaliatory lawsuit including the manufactured shame that tries to break us,” she said. “While the suit against me was defeated, so many don’t have the resources to fight back.
“I’m more resolved than ever to continue to stand for every woman’s right to have a voice in protecting themselves, including their safety, their integrity, their dignity and their story.”
Blake Lively’s post responding to the dismissal of Justin Baldoni’s countersuit against her.Credit: Instagram
Baldoni and production company Wayfarer Studios countersued in January for $US400 million, accusing Lively and her husband, Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds, of defamation and extortion.
The judge ruled that Baldoni can’t sue Lively for defamation over claims she made in her lawsuit because allegations made in a lawsuit are exempt from libel claims. Liman also ruled that Baldoni’s claims that Lively stole creative control of the film didn’t count as extortion under California law.
Baldoni’s legal team can revise the lawsuit if they want to pursue different claims related to whether Lively breached a contract, the judge said.
Emails seeking comment were sent to attorneys for Baldoni and Lively.
It Ends With Us, an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel that begins as a romance but takes a dark turn into domestic violence, was released in August, exceeding box office expectations with a $US50 million debut. But the movie’s release was shrouded by speculation over discord between Lively and Baldoni.
The judge also dismissed Baldoni’s defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, which had reported on Lively’s sexual harassment allegations.
AP with Chris Hook
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