Blake Lively’s lawyer issues new statement on Justin Baldoni lawsuit: ‘This is not a feud’

Blake Lively’s legal team has issued a forceful statement on the actor’s legal battle with former co-star Justin Baldoni, emphasizing the seriousness of the lawsuit.

Last month, Lively sued Baldoni for alleged sexual harassment during the production of It Ends With Us, accusing him of orchestrating a smear campaign against her after she complained about on-set misconduct.

Details were first made public in a New York Times article and Baldoni subsequently sued the newspaper for libel and false-light invasion of privacy.

Now, the Gossip Girl star’s lawyers have hit out at Baldoni’s camp with a fresh statement.

“This is not a ‘feud’ arising from ‘creative differences’ or a ‘he said/she said’ situation,” the statement first reported by People magazine said.

“As alleged in Ms. Lively’s complaint, and as we will prove in litigation, Wayfarer and its associates engaged in unlawful, retaliatory astroturfing against Ms. Lively for simply trying to protect herself and others on a film set.

“And their response to the lawsuit has been to launch more attacks against Ms. Lively since her filing.”

The statement continued: “Sexual harassment and retaliation are illegal in every workplace and in every industry.

“A classic tactic to distract from allegations of this type of misconduct is to ‘blame the victim’ by suggesting that they invited the conduct, brought it on themselves, misunderstood the intentions, or even lied,” the statement said.

“Another classic tactic is to reverse the victim and offender, and suggest that the offender is actually the victim. These concepts normalize and trivialize allegations of serious misconduct.”

“Most importantly, media statements are not a defense to Ms. Lively’s legal claims," Lively’s legal team concluded. “We will continue to prosecute her claims in federal court, where the rule of law determines who prevails, not hyperbole and threats.”

Bryan Freedman, a lawyer for Baldoni, told NBC News last week that his client plans to countersue Lively and “release every single text message between the two of them.”

A spokesperson for The Times has since told The Independent that they will “vigorously defend against [Baldoni’s] lawsuit.”

The public legal battle stemmed from the filming of It Ends With Us, a novel by Colleen Hoover. Lively plays Lily Bloom in the film while Baldoni, who directed, stars as Ryle Kincaid, her abusive partner.

Rumors of an on-set feud had been percolating online, as the pair appeared to avoid each other during the film’s promotional tour.

Lively was called out for a “tone-deaf” approach to the movie, as some felt she failed to treat its heavy subject matter with the appropriate solemnity.

However, Lively’s lawsuit alleges that fan backlash was part of a carefully orchestrated effort by Baldoni’s PR team after she accused him of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment. Meanwhile, Baldoni’s lawyers have insisted that Lively’s lawsuit is nothing more than an attempt to “fix her negative reputation.”

Baldoni is a married father-of-two and has positioned himself as an avid supporter of women’s rights, adding further fuel to the controversy. He has since had an award for being an “ally to women” rescinded.