Justin Baldoni’s $400million lawsuit against his It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively has reportedly been dismissed, amid their ongoing legal battle after their Hollywood movie last summer
Justin Baldoni’s $400m lawsuit against his It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively has been chucked out, as per reports.
The legal battle began in the wake of Blake and Justin’s stint on the film, which hit screens last summer. Blake initially lobbed a sexual harassment lawsuit at Justin – who has vehemently denied the allegations. In response, he launched a staggering $400million defamation claim against her, her PR guru and hubby Ryan Reynolds, all of whom have batted away the accusations.
On top of this, Justin slapped a $250million libel case on the New York Times over their reportage of Blake’s claims. However, the hefty $400million lawsuit has reportedly now been thrown out.
A spokesperson for Blake told the Daily Mail: “Today’s opinion is a total victory and a complete vindication for Blake Lively, along with those that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties dragged into their retaliatory lawsuit, including Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane and The New York Times.
“As we have said from day one, this ‘$400 million’ lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it. We look forward to the next round, which is seeking attorneys’ fees, treble damages and punitive damages against Baldoni, Sarowitz, Nathan, and the other Wayfarer Parties who perpetrated this abusive litigation,” reports the Mirror.
Last month, Blake’s friend Taylor Swift was embroiled in the scandal when she was officially subpoenaed to appear as a witness. The pop star received a legal notice from Justin’s lawyer Bryan Freedman – a move her team criticised as a ploy for clickbait.
In a development that seemed to satisfy both Blake and Taylor, it was confirmed that Justin would no longer be summoning the Bad Blood singer to testify. Bryan Freedman had alleged that Blake had enlisted “her high-profile friends” including Taylor to “manipulate Justin at every turn.”
Taylor, who is good mates with Blake, licensed her popular song My Tears Ricochet for use in the film but was not involved in the production of It Ends With Us, according to her representatives.
They condemned the subpoena, arguing it was “designed to use Taylor Swift ‘s name to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait instead of focusing on the facts of the case.”
Justin’s legal team withdrew the subpoena last month, a decision that Blake’s spokesperson said they were “pleased” with. “We supported the efforts of Taylor’s team to quash these inappropriate subpoenas directed to her counsel, and we will continue to stand up for any third party who is unjustly harassed or threatened in the process,” they informed People.
“The Baldoni and Wayfarer team have tried to put Taylor Swift, a woman who has been an inspiration for tens of millions across the globe, at the centre of this case since day one,” they claimed.
They claimed that “exploiting Taylor Swift’s celebrity was the original plan in [PR professional] Melissa Nathan’s scenario planning document, and it continues to this day.
“Faced with having to justify themselves in federal court, they folded. At some point they will run out of distractions from the actual claims of sexual harassment and retaliation they are facing,” they added.
The Daily Star has reached out to Baldoni’s representative for a response.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
