Blake Lively made very clear today: the lady is not for turning. That’ seems especially true when it comes to taking Justin Baldoni to trial for what may have gone down on It Ends With Us and in the aftermath.
“Don’t be distracted by the digital soap opera,” the actress proclaimed Friday.
A day after seeing the sexual harassment claim dropped from her lawsuit against her IEWU co-star Baldoni and his inner circle, and six weeks before the trial starts, Lively said that she “will never stop doing my part in fighting to expose the systems and people who seek to harm, shame, silence and retaliate against victims.”
“I know it’s a privilege to be able to stand up. I will not waste it.”
With a possible nod to hubby Ryan Reynolds and pal Taylor Swift (IYKYK), the Lively’s post ended:
Punctuated by that potentially telling dragon emoji, the rare direct statement from the actress came this evening on social media. Expressing gratitude to the Judge Lewis Liman for his summery judgement ruling of Thursday, Lively took the PR initiative with the statement, after 24 hours of lawyers on both sides as well her WME agency trying to put a public face on the loss of face.
“The last thing I wanted in my life was a lawsuit, but I brought this case because of the pervasive RETALIATION I faced, and continue to, for privately and professionally asking for a safe working environment for myself and others,” Lively wrote. While the sexual harassment claim fell by the wayside due to state jurisdictional realities and Lively’s IEWU status as an independent contractor, the defamation and retaliation claims, which the Another Simple Favor star this Good Friday called the “heart of my case” will be put before a New York jury starting on May 18.
That still beating heart comes from Lively’s allegation that Baldoni, his Wayfarer Studios execs and PR team instigated and executed an online smear campaign against her in 2024 in the lead up to the release of the Sony distributed IEWU.
Despite texts and other communications that imply otherwise according to Team Blake and her attorneys, Team Baldoni has always denied they unleashed bot and digital Hell on Lively. In their POV, the internet rose up against the Gossip Girl star organically. What is not contested is that A-lister Lively was roasted online. She says it was because Baldoni’s side wanted to preempt her making public alleged misconduct on and around the production of IEWU.
Today, Lively put a spotlight on the “physical pain from digital violence is very real.”
Judge Liman had ordered both parties to engage in settlement talks, but Baldoni attorney Bryan Freedman said in February that attempts to reach a deal proved “unsuccessful.” If there was any doubt that Lively would still take the December 2024 kicked off messy matter to trial, Friday’s posting on the actress’ Instagram Stories put an end to it.
See you in court.
