Blake Lively’s Team Fires Back: Actress Vows to Take Defamation Lawsuit to Trial
Oh joy, another celebrity lawsuit drama that’s about to get a whole lot messier. Blake Lively’s lawyer, Michael Gottlieb, just spilled the tea on his client’s plans to take her defamation lawsuit against Justin Baldoni all the way to trial. Because, of course, she does. I mean, who needs a simple settlement when you can drag it out in court for years?
Let’s get this over with. According to Gottlieb, Lively is dead set on proving her claims of sexual harassment against Baldoni, and she’s not backing down despite the recent dismissal of his $400 million lawsuit. Because, you know, $400 million is just a drop in the bucket for these A-listers. Bryan Freedman, Baldoni’s top attorney, claimed that Lively’s team was celebrating too soon, but Gottlieb was quick to shut that down. “They shouldn’t worry about that at all,” he said, because Lively is more than happy to take her case to trial.
I told you so. The judge’s decision to dismiss Baldoni’s lawsuit was a big win for Lively, and her team is clearly feeling confident about their chances in court. The ruling stated that Lively couldn’t be held liable for defamation because she put the allegations in a civil rights complaint, and the New York Times fairly relied on that complaint as the basis of their story. It’s not like it’s a complicated concept or anything.
Gottlieb also made it clear that Lively’s team isn’t just fighting for herself, but for all the other women who have made similar claims. Because, you know, that’s exactly what this is about – not just about Lively’s reputation or bank account, but about some grand noble cause. Look, I’m not saying it’s not admirable, but let’s not pretend like this is about anything other than a high-stakes game of legal cat and mouse.
As for Freedman’s claims that he’ll refile the four claims against Lively that weren’t dismissed with prejudice, Gottlieb just shrugged it off. “They can try,” he seems to be saying. And honestly, who can blame him? It’s not like it’s going to be a surprise if Lively’s team comes out on top again.
And that, dear reader, is why we can’t have nice things. With cases like this, it’s a wonder anyone can keep track of who’s suing who and why. But hey, at least it’s entertaining. What’s next? Will Lively’s team emerge victorious, or will Baldoni’s lawyers pull off a stunning comeback? Only time will tell, but one thing’s for sure – we’ll be watching.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and TMZ, People Magazine
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
