Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds will move to dismiss…
It nonetheless doesn’t finish right here.
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds revealed they will move to dismiss Justin Baldoni’s defamation lawsuit, informing a federal decide of the choice on Thursday, reported Variety.
Lively, 37, sued Baldoni, 41 — who’s additionally her co-star and director of “It Ends With Us” — for $250 million, claiming he sexually harassed her whereas filming and launched a smear marketing campaign when she spoke out about her alleged remedy. Baldoni denied her accusations.
He and his publicists countered Lively for $400 million, alleging she defamed them. They additionally alleged that Lively and her well-known husband, Ryan Reynolds, pressured the high-powered expertise company WME to drop Baldoni as a shopper — an accusation WME denied.
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds on the ‘It Ends With Us’ World Premiere. Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock
The “Gossip Girl” alum and Reynolds’ legal crew allegedly filed the discover on Thursday, per Judge Lewis Liman’s order this week, through which he knowledgeable them that he plans to “consolidate” the separate lawsuits.
The decide will later set a deadline for the movement to be filed.
“The Lively-Reynolds Parties intend to move to dismiss Plaintiffs’ complaint,” the Hollywood energy couple’s lawyer, Michael J. Gottlieb, revealed within the alleged submitting.
Justin Baldoni speaks onstage during Variety Faith And Spirituality In Entertainment Honors offered by CFAM at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills on December 4, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Variety through Getty Images
Lively’s publicist, Leslie Sloane, is claimed to have filed a related discover on Wednesday, as she, too, was named as a defendant in Baldoni’s lawsuit.
Lawyers on each side reportedly indicated they’ve no objection to merging the 2 federal instances into one continuing.
The Post has reached out to Lively and Baldoni’s attorneys for remark.
Both the actress and the director’s attorneys are due in courtroom on Monday, February 3, marking their first listening to concerning the “It Ends With Us” drama.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni seen in an outtake from “It Ends With Us” launched amid their ongoing legal battle.
At the listening to, Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman’s alleged extrajudicial conduct will take middle stage after Lively’s attorneys claimed he’s making prejudicial feedback within the media and, in flip, is reporting tainting the jury pool.
However, Freedman fought back, countering that he had each proper to defend his shopper publicly following Lively and her crew’s alleged “attempt to destroy Justin Baldoni, his team and their respective companies by disseminating grossly edited, unsubstantiated, new and doctored information to the media.”
Baldoni’s legal crew allegedly revealed on Thursday evening that they want Lively’s deposition to occur as quickly as potential, claiming the “It Ends With Us” starlet has indicated she’ll refuse to let Freedman do the questioning due to “unspecified statements made by Mr. Freedman.”
Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively are seen arriving on the Jazz Center for the “Deadpool & Wolverine” premiere after occasion on July 22, 2024 in New York City. GC Images
Justin Baldoni is seen filming “It Ends With Us” on May 25, 2023 in Hoboken, New Jersey. GC Images
“We are unaware of any situation that would warrant the deposed party to have a choice in which attorney takes her deposition,” one other one of Baldoni’s attorneys, Kevin Fritz, allegedly knowledgeable the decide. “Parties to litigation simply do not have the right to dictate which of their opponents’ attorneys may or may not take their deposition or perform any other aspect of the opposing party’s case.”
He is asking for the deposition challenge to be addressed during Monday’s listening to.
The endless legal battle just lately bought a trial date.
Lively and Baldoni are headed to trial on March 9, 2026.
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