Justin Baldoni’s lawyers are aiming to have Blake Lively’s sexual harassment lawsuit dismissed before a federal trial scheduled for next March.
In a motion for summary judgment filed Wednesday night, attorneys argued that Lively’s claims amount to nothing more than “an accumulation of minor grievances” and should not form the basis of a harassment lawsuit.
Lively sued her co-stars and the director of “It Ends With Us,” as well as producers and publicists who worked on the film, alleging retaliation for complaining about conduct on set. In particular, she claims she was the victim of a social media “smear campaign” in which Instagram commenters called her a “bully” and a “mean girl.”
Mr. Baldoni’s lawyers argued that the conduct did not rise to the level of “adverse employment conduct” required for retaliation.
They also argued that the actions taken by Baldoni and his allies were only defensive in nature, as they sought to protect their reputations from Lively’s allegations.
“Mr. Baldoni sought advice from a crisis public relations firm, as any responsible person in his position would do,” the lawyers argued. “He did so in the interest of both his professional reputation and the newly released film. He relied on media professionals to enhance his image and ensure that the reporting was balanced and accurate, none of which violated the law.”
Lively’s team has been closely monitoring social media reactions to the altercation between the two co-stars, citing text messages between Baldoni’s publicists indicating they were trying to “promote” posts favorable to Baldoni and critical of Lively.
Baldoni and his associates previously sued Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds for defamation. The suit was dismissed on the basis that Mr. Baldoni could not sue anyone.
The summary judgment motion cites evidence obtained during discovery, much of which is redacted because the material is designated as “confidential.”
In a separate lawsuit, social media guru Jed Wallace filed a lawsuit in federal court in Texas, accusing Lively of harming her reputation for her involvement in Baldoni’s smear campaign. The suit was dismissed Wednesday by a federal judge in Austin, who ruled that the court had no jurisdiction over Mr. Lively, who is based in New York.
Lively’s claim against Wallace was similarly dismissed last week on the grounds that New York courts lacked jurisdiction over Wallace, who is based in Texas.
