According to the article, Freedman (Justin Baldoni’s attorney) called Blake Lively’s motion to dismiss “one of the most abhorrent examples of abusing our legal system.” However, this statement appears to contradict the timeline of events presented in the article.

The article indicates that Lively initially filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department on December 20, alleging that Baldoni had committed harassment and retaliation against her. This suggests that Lively’s claims of harassment came first, not Baldoni’s.

What’s particularly notable is that Freedman accuses Lively of “falsely accusing my clients of harassment and retaliation” while representing the very person accused of that harassment. The article also references communications between PR professionals that allegedly reveal plans for a “social combat plan” against Lively, which would be consistent with Lively’s claims of a coordinated effort against her.

The article mentions that PR executive Jennifer Abel had admitted online (in a now-deleted post) that they had prepared a “protective package” against Lively, stating: “although we were prepared, we didn’t have to do anything over the top to protect our client.” Abel further acknowledged they were “prepared for it, as it’s our job to be ready for any scenario.”

This suggests that Baldoni’s team had indeed created some form of strategy against Lively, which seems to lend credibility to Lively’s initial complaints that prompted her Civil Rights Department filing. In this context, Freedman’s accusation of Lively “abusing the legal system” appears to overlook the fact that his own client and team may have engaged in the behavior that sparked the legal battle in the first place.

The article clarifies several key points about the situation:

1. Timeline of lawsuits: Blake Lively sued Baldoni first in December 2024, accusing him, producer Jamey Heath, Wayfarer Studios co-founder Steve Sarowitz, and others of sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign against her.
2. Baldoni’s response lawsuit: In January, Baldoni filed a $400 million countersuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, their publicist Leslie Sloane, and Sloane’s PR firm.
3. Lively’s dismissal motion: On March 20, Lively’s attorneys filed a motion to dismiss Baldoni’s lawsuit, calling it “vengeful and rambling” and “a profound abuse of the legal process.”
4. California law cited: Lively’s team argues that Baldoni’s lawsuit violates California Civil Code Section 47.1, a recently enacted law that prohibits retaliatory lawsuits tied to public disclosures of sexual harassment.

What’s particularly notable is how Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman calls Lively’s dismissal motion “abhorrent” and accuses her of “abusing our legal system,” when the chronology suggests that Baldoni’s lawsuit came as a response to Lively’s original sexual harassment claims.

Freedman’s statement that they “will continue to hold Ms. Lively accountable for her actions of pure malice which include falsely accusing my clients of harassment and retaliation” is striking because it appears to be attempting to reframe the narrative. According to the article, Lively was the first to make allegations of sexual harassment, and Baldoni’s lawsuit could be seen as the retaliatory action that California’s new law was designed to prevent.

The irony is that Freedman accuses Lively of abusing the legal system while representing someone who filed a $400 million lawsuit against an actress who had previously accused his client of sexual harassment.