Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ Rep Withdraws from $400 Million Lawsuit Filed by Justin Baldoni

In a shocking turn of events, Leslie Sloane, the spokesperson for Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, has requested to withdraw from the $400 million lawsuit filed by Justin Baldoni last month. This legal drama is unfolding like a Hollywood thriller, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. On Thursday, Sloane’s attorney, Sigrid McCawley, filed a motion in federal court in New York, seeking to remove Sloane and her company, Vision PR, from Baldoni’s counterclaim against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their representatives.

According to court documents obtained, Sloane’s attorney argues that she has been “dragged” into this unpleasant legal battle as part of a “smokescreen to distract from their own sexual harassment and systematic retaliation.” Talk about a plot twist! The filings also assert that there is no “basis” for accusing Sloane of launching a “smear campaign” against Baldoni or spreading “malicious stories” about him.

The Accusations Fly

The drama escalates as Sloane’s lawyers point out that Baldoni’s legal team has failed to “identify the alleged extortion” that supposedly took place or explain how Sloane “received anything of value after that alleged extortion.” It’s like a game of legal chess, and the pieces are moving fast!

McCawley also came to the defense of Blake Lively, 37, against Baldoni’s claims that she took over creative control of their film, It Ends With Us. “Baldoni’s allegations regarding creative issues are irrelevant and clearly sexist,” she stated. “Because Ms. Lively—an executive producer on the film—dared to voice her opinions on the script, costumes, and editing, Baldoni criticized her as ‘overbearing’ and ‘aggressive,’ among other metaphorical terms.”

A Battle of Words

McCawley further claimed, “When Ms. Lively bravely spoke out about Baldoni’s predatory behavior, he and his team used every weapon in their arsenal to blame, shame, and silence her, even hiring a crisis PR manager who promised to ‘bury’ Ms. Lively and ‘destroy’ her life.” Wow, talk about a dramatic showdown!

In the preliminary statement of the lawsuit, McCawley wrote, “Baldoni has spent years profiting from feminist movements and #MeToo, selling books, podcasts, TED talks, etc., using slogans about believing survivors, ending victim-blaming, and promoting informed consent.” But then she accused him of “hypocrisy” for his “blatant sexual harassment of multiple employees” and an ongoing campaign to discredit and blame victims while punishing anyone who speaks out against him.

The Allegations Against Lively

Sloane’s lawyers argue that the allegations from the “Wayfarer Parties” against Blake Lively boil down to: she’s too ambitious, too outspoken, and she should just accept Baldoni’s strange and abusive behavior without complaint, no matter how uncomfortable it makes her and other women on set.

McCawley also stated that Baldoni “downplays the sexual harassment and retaliation dispute by trying to frame it as merely a creative control battle over the film.” Meanwhile, she insists that he does not “deny much of the misconduct he is accused of” but merely attempts to “contextualize his behavior and suggest that Ms. Lively acted unilaterally.”

The Legal Fallout

Sloane is also seeking her legal fees to be covered under New York’s anti-SLAPP law. In the documents, McCawley asserts that Sloane has a “long-standing reputation for professionalism and reliability,” and the baseless accusations from the Wayfarer Parties have caused her “irreparable professional harm and emotional distress.”

This situation escalated when the Gossip Girl actress filed an amended complaint on Tuesday night, claiming that two actresses on set also had uncomfortable experiences with the director and co-star in It Ends With Us.

However, a source has pushed back against these claims, stating, “Blake is really grasping at straws. People are saying she has clear evidence, and she really has nothing. Her amended complaint is baseless.”

The Counterclaims

The source continued, “The bottom line is, Justin didn’t harass any other women on set. There hasn’t been a single HR complaint from any women—including Blake. If he did, wouldn’t HR be the first place they’d go?” They even named two actresses from the drama, Isabela Ferrer and Jenny Slate. “In fact, Isabela praised Justin. She wrote about how great he was to work with. And Jenny Slate wants nothing to do with this. She’s made that clear to several people.”

It seems that Blake is struggling to find a single woman willing to step forward and back her claims. “In her amended complaint, there are no text messages, emails, signals, WhatsApp, or anything about these alleged women. Justin has receipts. He has actual evidence to defend himself, and it seems Blake has nothing to back up her claims.”

The Witnesses and Their Silence

Meanwhile, according to Blake’s spokesperson, the complaint does not name the alleged victim-witnesses or include their messages or screenshots to protect their privacy. However, the spokesperson stated, “It’s important to note that these victim-witnesses have allowed Ms. Lively to share their contact information in the amended complaint as per protocol, and they will testify and present documents during the discovery process.”

The complaint is said to contain “significant evidence at the time” showing that Blake is not the only one making allegations of misconduct on set, along with “confirmation of her initial claims.”

Reports also indicate that there is “detailed evidence of threats, harassment, and intimidation” not just against Blake but also against “many innocent bystanders.”

The Initial Lawsuit

Earlier, Blake filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Justin, who stars in and directs her romantic drama It Ends With Us. Following that, Justin filed a defamation lawsuit against Blake, her manager, and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, seeking $400 million in damages.

When asked if he was initially willing to “mediate” with Blake’s legal team, the attorney explained, “The question is whether he’s willing to mediate and whether we’re willing to do that, and our answer is ‘no.’ We don’t want to do anything until Justin is cleared of being a predator, a sexual harasser. Until that is determined not to be the case, we will proceed with this.”

The Stakes Are High

Former Today show host Billy, 53, probed deeper, asking, “What’s more important to Justin? $400 million or some kind of financial settlement to make up for… has he lost his job? Have people turned their backs on him because of a future project?”

Bryan, the attorney, replied, “A pretty significant workload,” but didn’t specify any particular projects. When the host asked if Justin wanted a “sincere apology from Blake,” the lawyer—who has represented stars like Robert Downey Jr. and Mariah Carey—responded, “I think he wants a resolution; I know he wants a resolution… that he’s not involved in the alleged misconduct and not involved in sexual harassment or creating a smear campaign.”