NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 Actor Blake Lively asked a judge on Thursday to dismiss a countersuit filed against her by her 鈥淚t Ends With Us鈥 costar Justin Baldoni, calling his claims 鈥渧engeful and rambling鈥 after she sued for sexual harassment and retaliation.
Livelysa国际传媒 lawyers wrote in papers filed in Manhattan federal court that Baldoni and his production company's claims that he and his companies were defamed were a 鈥減rofound abuse of the legal process.鈥
鈥淭he law prohibits weaponizing defamation lawsuits, like this one, to retaliate against individuals who have filed legal claims or have publicly spoken out about sexual harassment and retaliation,鈥 the lawyers said.
Lively sought unspecified damages when she sued Baldoni in late December for alleged sexual harassment and retaliation. He countersued for $400 million, accusing Lively and her husband, 鈥淒eadpool鈥 actor Ryan Reynolds, of defamation and extortion.
On Wednesday, lawyers for Reynolds filed papers in the countersuit urging that he be dismissed as a defendant from the countersuit to Lively's claims that Baldoni and related parties launched a social media campaign to 鈥渄estroy鈥 her after she privately called out alleged sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct against her and others on the movie set.
鈥淪o what does Ryan Reynolds have to do with that, legally speaking, other than being a supportive spouse who has witnessed firsthand the emotional, reputational and financial devastation Ms. Lively has suffered?鈥 they wrote.
In recent court papers, Baldonisa国际传媒 attorneys wrote that slanderous statements and actions by Lively and related parties had ruined their clients.
鈥淭heir reputations are destroyed, their businesses lie in tatters, and their own Film was taken from them,鈥 they said in court papers.
Both sides have accused the other of trying to ruin them.
鈥淚t Ends With Us,鈥 an adaptation of that begins as a romance but takes a dark turn into domestic violence, was released in August, with a $50 million debut. But the moviesa国际传媒 release was shrouded by speculation over discord between Lively and Baldoni.
Lively became widely known after she appeared in the 2005 film 鈥淭he Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.鈥 She bolstered her stardom on the TV series 鈥淕ossip Girl鈥 from 2007 to 2012 before starring in films including 鈥淭he Town鈥 and 鈥淭he Shallows.鈥
Baldoni starred in the TV comedy directed the 2019 film 鈥淔ive Feet Apart鈥 and wrote 鈥淢an Enough,鈥 a book pushing back against traditional notions of masculinity.
