Blake Lively is getting support from activists and organizations amid her legal battle against Justin Baldoni.
According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, the Equal Rights Advocates, California Employment Lawyers and California Women’s Law Center submitted a legal brief in favor of Lively on Tuesday, May 27. The groups stated that the court should dismiss Baldoni’s retaliatory lawsuit based on California Assembly Bill 933. The legislation, also known as the Me Too Bill or the Protecting Survivors from Weaponizing Defamation Lawsuits Act, protects survivors of sexual assault, harassment and discrimination from defamation lawsuits.
“Recognizing that defamation suits are effective in silencing victims, or coercing them into withdrawing their claims, the California Legislature crafted AB 933 to protect survivors’ reports in a manner that would avoid abusive discovery,” the letter read. “Should this Court deny Ms. Lively’s motion to dismiss and permit the Baldoni Plaintiffs’ retaliatory lawsuit against her to proceed, it would undermine this carefully crafted framework — not only for Ms. Lively but also for the thousands of current and future victims in California who depend on AB 933’s protections and remedies to defend themselves from similar suits.”
The groups claimed that Baldoni’s legal team is using the Deny, Attack and Reverse Victim and Offender (DARVO) technique to “recast Mr. Baldoni as the victim to undermine Ms. Lively’s credibility while also attempting to leverage the powerful tool of abusive discovery to further persecute her.”
They argued that the Me Too Bill would “allow the law to work as intended by providing early protection and relief for survivors who speak out about sexual harassment.” If Lively’s motion to dismiss was denied it could potentially “encourage abusers to use defamation suits to silence victims.”
In addition to Lively, 37, having the three organizations in her corner, advocate Elyse Dorsey defended the actress. An additional legal brief stated that Dorsey, who is a survivor of sexual harassment and was part of a retaliatory lawsuit, supports “stronger statutory protections” for those who have come forward about their experience.
“Ms. Lively and Ms. Dorsey’s experiences show that sexual harassment remains deeply entrenched in the American workplace. In just about every industry, sexual harassment derails careers, shatters confidence, and silences voices,” the docs read. “The #MeToo movement exposed the widespread nature of such misconduct and empowered survivors to share their experiences; but recent backlash has ushered in a troubling rise in retaliatory defamation lawsuits, which intimidate and stun survivors into inaction.”
Dorsey argued that retaliatory lawsuits undermine “the fundamental rights of whistleblowers” and make it “nearly impossible to report misconduct.” Dorsey voiced her support for Lively, stating that the court should not rule in favor of Baldoni.
“Accepting Mr. Baldoni’s and the Wayfarer Parties’ attack on the Protecting Survivors Act would destroy a crucial safeguard for all whistleblowers,” the docs read. “This Court should not endorse this effort to punish survivors who share their stories, nor should it entertain Mr. Baldoni’s and the Wayfarer Parties’ attempt to invalidate the remedial provisions contained in the Protecting Survivors Act.”
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively‘s lawyers are firing back at each other over Lively’s motion to dismiss herself from the multimillion dollar lawsuit the It Ends With Us director filed against her. Bryan Freedman described the move as “abhorrent” and described it as “abusing the system” via a statement issued to Us Weekly on Thursday, […]
On Thursday, May 29, Baldoni’s legal team asked the court to deny the letters of support Lively received from the advocacy organizations. While Baldoni, 41, and his team have “respect” for the groups, they argued that the briefs fail to “aid the court” during the “pleading stage.” However, if the court decided to accept the organizations’ letters, Baldoni’s lawyers asked for the chance to file a response brief.
Lively and Baldoni’s legal issues began in December 2024. Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, accusing her It Ends With Us director and costar of sexual harassment, creating a hostile work environment and orchestrating an alleged smear campaign against her.
Baldoni denied all the allegations. He subsequently filed a $400 million countersuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and their publicist Leslie Sloane, accusing them of civil extortion, defamation, false light invasion of privacy and more. They have since denied the claims and pushed for the lawsuit to be dismissed.
