Blake Lively has accused Justin Baldoni of ‘trying to silence Sєxual harᴀssment victims’ amid the pair’s explosive legal battle.

The Gossip Girl alum, 37 – whose ‘disgusting’ donut shop stunt sparked a health and safety investigation – has been embroiled in legal drama with Baldoni, 41, since December 2024 after she accused him of Sєxual harᴀssment and launching a smear campaign against her.

He responded with a $400 million lawsuit against the actress as well as filing a $250 million libel lawsuit against the New York Times which reported on Lively’s allegations.

Earlier this week on Thursday, Justin accused Blake of staging a PR stunt against him which he claimed was ‘designed to ruin the reputations and careers of the Wayfarer parties’ after she filed to dismiss his lawsuit on March 20.

In his filing this week, Baldoni stated he was ‘exercising’ his First Amendment right ‘to peтιтion the court to clear their names from her false and harmful claims.’

Blake’s attorneys Mike Gottlieb and Esra Hudson told TMZ on Friday: ‘That’s right: Justin Baldoni, the man who has built his brand on supposedly speaking up for victims, believes that the First Amendment rights of victims of Sєxual ᴀssault and harᴀssment to speak out should give way to the rights of perpetrators to sue their victims “into oblivion.”‘

Blake Lively, 37, has accused Justin Baldoni, 41,  of ‘trying to silence Sєxual harᴀssment victims’ amid the pair’s explosive legal battle; seen in March in Austin 

Earlier this week on Thursday, Justin accused Blake of staging a PR stunt against him which he claimed was ‘designed to ruin the reputations and careers of the Wayfarer parties’ after she filed to dismiss his lawsuit on March 20; seen in 2024 

Her legal team further stated that Baldoni and his lawyer Bryan Freedman are trying to ‘shed’ a law that protects victims and also prevents others from speaking out in the future. 

In response, Freedman told DailyMail.com on Friday: ‘This convoluted statement makes it abundantly clear that Ms. Lively and team are rattled and once again resorting to making inflammatory remarks to steer focus away from the actual facts. 

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‘Clearly they want to divert the public’s attention from the receipts, the actual documents, video footage and additional evidence shown that make it irrefutable that there was no Sєxual harᴀssment.’ 

Freedman added it is ‘surprising that Ms. Lively and her team are suddenly speaking so pᴀssionately about the hard won rights of the survivor community, considering she sidestepped this topic for the entirety of the film campaign…

‘Focusing instead on her hair care and alcohol products which at that time caused the organic backlash that she received. She does not need discovery to find out who smeared her. Just a mirror will do.’ 

Justin’s attorney also recently told TMZ, ‘Ms. Lively and her circle of Hollywood elites cannot prevent my clients from exercising their consтιтutional right to peтιтion the court to clear their names from her false and harmful claims.’ 

Last year, Justin and Blake both starred in the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel It Ends With Us – which the actor also directed. 

She went on to file a Sєxual harᴀssment lawsuit against Baldoni, who she also accused of orchestrating a ‘retaliation campaign,’ and he responded by suing Lively, Reynolds and Lively’s publicist Leslie Sloane for defamation. 

Her legal team further stated that Baldoni and his lawyer Bryan Freedman are trying to ‘shed’ a law that protects victims and also prevents others from speaking out in the future

also told the outlet on Friday, ‘This convoluted statement makes it abundantly clear that Ms. Lively and team are rattled and once again resorting to making inflammatory remarks to steer focus away from the actual facts’; seen in 2024 in NYC 

The two stars have since been embroiled on ongoing legal drama as they prepare to go to court next year on March 9, 2026. 

Justin recently issued a scathing response to Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds after the couple filed to dismiss his $400 million defamation lawsuit against them.

Last month, Lively, Reynolds and Sloane filed to dismiss Baldoni’s ‘vengeful and rambling’ $400 million lawsuit.

In a fiery statement, Reynolds slammed Baldoni as ‘thin-skinned’ while describing himself as a ‘supportive spouse’ to Lively.

And on Tuesday, April 1, the legal team representing Baldoni and the Wayfarer Studios parties called Reynolds Lively’s ‘co-conspirator’ as they asked Judge Lewis J. Liman to deny both the ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool star and his wife’s dismissal request.

According to People, Baldoni’s lawyers claim in the legal docs that Reynolds ‘pretends that the Wayfarer Parties’ First Amended Complaint (the ‘FAC’) fails to set forth any basis for his liability and that he merely acted as a supportive spouse. Not so. 

‘The FAC specifically alleges ample facts to support the Wayfarer Parties’ claims against him, based on both his direct actions and his liability as a co-conspirator.’

They’ve also suggested that Reynolds should not be able to recover attorneys fees from Baldoni in the ‘extremely unlikely event’ that he is dismissed from the lawsuit.

Last month, Lively, Reynolds and Sloane filed to dismiss Baldoni’s ‘vengeful and rambling’ $400 million lawsuit; Blake and Ryan seen in February in NYC 

This comes after Lively’s attorneys stated in her March 20 dismissal filing that Wayfarer’s legal efforts against her could end up costing Baldoni’s team $100 million.

In an April 3 statement to DailyMail.com, a spokesperson for Reynolds responded to Baldoni’s latest legal move.

The spokesperson claimed that Baldoni and the Wayfarer Studios parties ‘finally realize the plain defects in their complaint,’ while calling the lawsuit ‘frivolous.’

They also told DailyMail.com that Reynolds will continue to standby his wife while reiterating Lively’s harᴀssment and retaliation allegations.

‘They once again claim defamation without alleging who was defamed, what specifically was said, or how anyone suffered actual harm.

‘Unlike Mr. Baldoni, who built his brand pretending to be a man who is ‘confident enough to listen’ to the women in his life, Ryan Reynolds actually is that man and he will continue to support his wife as she stands up to the individuals who not only harᴀssed her but then have retaliated against her.

‘Under New York law, California law, and indeed in every jurisdiction of the United States this lawsuit not only fails but may result in the Wayfarer Parties covering Ryan’s costs and attorneys’ fees for bringing such a frivolous case in the first place,’ the statement concluded.

Baldoni’s response to Lively’s dismissal filing was obtained by TMZ.

According to court docs obtained by the outlet on Thursday, Baldoni provided the judge with reasons as to why the Gossip Girl’s attempt to toss out his lawsuit should be denied. 

The spokesperson claimed that Baldoni and the Wayfarer Studios parties ‘finally realize the plain defects in their complaint,’ while calling the lawsuit ‘frivolous’; seen in 2024 in NYC 

According to court docs obtained by the outlet on Thursday, Baldoni provided the judge with reasons as to why the Gossip Girl’s attempt to toss out his lawsuit should be denied

Baldoni accused Lively of being the mastermind behind an elaborate smear campaign, which he claimed was ‘designed to ruin the reputations and careers of the Wayfarer parties.’

Baldoni claimed claims ‘there is sufficient evidence that [Lively] took a responsible part in publishing each of the allegedly defamatory statements by approving or authorizing them prior to publication.’

He also alleged that Lively ‘told the NYT a false and damning story about an insidious PR sabotage operation deployed as revenge for Sєxual harᴀssment complaints, with the knowledge and intent that the newspaper would publish that false story.’

He continued to insist that Lively acted out of malice and accused her of actively trying to destroy his Hollywood career.

Freedman also informed TMZ, ‘What Ms. Lively is attempting to do is to set a dangerous precedent by barring the courthouse doors to my clients and punishing them for having their day in court, a right protected by the First Amendment. 

‘This right protects not only Mr. Baldoni and the Wayfarer parties in this particular case, but all Americans in the future who have false accusations levied against them and seek relief from our justice system.’ 

He added, ‘This must stop here, and we will continue to fight against this blatant attempt to block access to the court system and to weaken our nation’s Consтιтution to serve those who are in the position of power.’

Lively, Reynolds and publicist Sloane filed to dismiss Baldoni’s defamation lawsuit on March 20.

In court documents obtained by DailyMail.com, Lively’s attorneys slammed Baldoni’s ‘vengeful and rambling’ lawsuit as a ‘profound abuse of the legal process that has no place in federal court’ as they asked for all claims against her to be dropped.

He continued to insist that Lively acted out of malice and accused her of actively trying to destroy his Hollywood career; seen in 2024 in L.A. 

In court documents obtained by DailyMail.com, Lively’s attorneys slammed Baldoni’s ‘vengeful and rambling’ lawsuit as a ‘profound abuse of the legal process that has no place in federal court’ as they asked for all claims against her to be dropped; seen in 2024 in NYC 

In a shocking twist, the documents also state that Wayfarer’s legal efforts against Lively may end up costing Baldoni’s team $100 million due to a mandatory fee shifting provision in California Civil Code Section 47.1, which provides protections to individuals with claims of Sєxual harᴀssment and similar allegations.

In the introduction and summary of their argument, Lively’s legal team argues the lawsuit against her has ‘no place in federal court’ due to legal protections for individuals who have spoken out about Sєxual harᴀssment or filed legal claims.

Under the California law, communication by an individual making a claim – without malice – about Sєxual harᴀssment and similar matters is considered privileged communication.

Section 47.1 dictates that these individuals who prevail in a defamation lawsuit against them over the allegations will be awarded their attorney’s fees, punitive damages, and treble damages (an award three times what the jury decides to give the plaintiff). The law applies to those who had a ‘reasonable basis to file a complaint’ of harᴀssment and similar allegations, whether or not the complaint was filed.

The documents note that the ‘Wayfarer Parties’ – Baldoni’s studio – will be financially responsible for all of this should the defamation lawsuit be dismissed. 

With this fee shifting provision in mind, the documents note that Steve Sarowitz, the co-founder of Wayfarer Studios, may end up forking over the $100 million he allegedly pledged to spend on litigation in a manner he did not intend. 

‘Steve Sarowitz may indeed make good on his threat to spend “$100 million” litigating against Ms. Lively, but perhaps not in the way he planned.’

They said Wayfarer’s First Amendment Complaint – shortened to ‘FAC’ in the legal documents – relied on ‘implausible conjecture and conspiracy theories’ to make their case about Lively.

Lively’s legal team called the FAC a ‘blunt public relations instrument’ intended to ‘bury’ and destroy’ Lively for speaking up about her claims. 

The documents note that the ‘Wayfarer Parties’ – Baldoni’s studio – will be financially responsible for all of this should the defamation lawsuit be dismissed

In the documents, Lively’s legal team argue she did not act with ‘actual malice’ when making her claims about Baldoni, ‘a public figure subject to the actual malice standard’.

They state Wayfarer’s FAC ‘confirms’ Lively reported her claims and sincerely believed them to be true.

The documents also said Wayfarer failed to demonstrate that Lively doubted the truthfulness of her allegations. 

Additionally, it cites an alleged text conversation between Justin and his crisis publicist Melissa Nathan in which they agreed Lively truly believed she was right. 

The filing also says the FAC fails to demonstrate Lively and her team were all conspiring against Wayfarer. 

It also adds that alleged coordination between Lively and The New York Times – whose article about Lively’s original complaint sparked a lawsuit from Baldoni – was ‘not wrongful as a matter of law.’ 

They also allege that their documents failed to ‘allege that Ms. Lively wrongfully interfered with any contract or economic relationship.’ 

This references Wayfarer and Baldoni being dropped by talent agency WME following the filing of Lively’s claims.

They state the documents lack evidence showing Lively did anything to destroy the relationship, and that the only ‘specific allegations’ were surrounding her husband, who allegedly referred to Baldoni a ‘Sєxual predator’ in conversation with a WME executive.

The filing also says the FAC fails to demonstrate Lively and her team were all conspiring against Wayfarer; seen in 2024 in NYC 

They also claim Wayfarer did not state any damages related to their extortion claims. 

The lawsuit concluded by asking the court to ‘dismiss all claims against Ms. Lively with prejudice, deny leave to amend, and award Ms. Lively all relief sought.’

Baldoni and his company Wayfarer Studios filed the $400M lawsuit in January. His studio’s chief executive Jamey Heath, It Ends With Us Movie LLC, and publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel were also listed as plaintiffs, according to NPR.

The legal fallout between Lively and Baldoni came after months of intense fan speculation of tension between the two during the promotion of the film, with the duo not posing together at the premiere and doing press separately.