Justin Baldoni put an answer to Blake Lively’s request to reject his defamation trial.
Baldoni put the trial in January after Lively accused him of sexual harassment and orchestrate a defamation campaign during the shooting of It ends with us.
Lively lawyers submitted the request for rejection of the trial in March, saying that Baldoni’s allegations were “avenging” and an abuse of the legal system. They also underlined a Californian law which protects people from pursuing reprisals linked to allegations of sexual harassment.
Now, in response, Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, has argued that the trial provides detailed allegations of “calculated efforts from Lively to extort and manipulate”.
Revealing that they will “continue to fight”, Freedman also said that even if the trial is rejected, an animated person should not be entitled to fees or damages.
He said: “What Ms. Lively tries to do is set a dangerous precedent by prohibiting the doors of the courthouse 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 parts of Wayfarer in this particular case, but all the Americans in the future who have false accusations taken from them and relieved our judicial system.”
“This must stop here, and we will continue to fight against this blatant attempt to block access to the judicial system and weaken the constitution of our nation to serve those who are in a position of power,” added Justin Baldoni’s lawyer.