In response to the defamation and extortion lawsuit filed by Justin Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and their associates on Thursday, January 16, Blake Lively’s legal team has issued a strong statement condemning the legal action as retaliation.

Lively’s lawyers announced, “This latest lawsuit by Justin Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its affiliates is another chapter in the story of his abusers.”

He framed the trial as a textbook case of DARVO, an acronym used by experts to describe manipulation tactics: denial. attack. On the contrary, the victim is the criminal.

“This is an age-old story: A woman speaks out with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation, and the abuser attempts to attack the victim,” the statement said.

The legal team accused Baldoni and his studio of using their vast resources to tarnish public perception. He said, “Wayfarer has used the resources of its billionaire co-founder to issue media statements, launch meritless lawsuits, and threaten lawsuits to destroy the public’s ability to understand what they are doing. That’s retaliation against sexual harassment allegations.”

According to Lively’s lawyers, Baldoni’s claims that the actress took creative control and alienated the cast are unfounded. “The evidence will show that artists and others had their own negative experiences with Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer,” he countered. He also revealed that Sony Pictures specifically asked Lively to oversee the studio’s cut of the film, which was ultimately selected for distribution and was “a resounding success”.

Lively’s legal team also criticized it, calling it an outdated and misogynistic defense strategy.

“Her response to the sexual harassment allegations: She wanted it, it’s her fault,” the statement said.

It further reads, “Their reasoning for why this happened to her: Look at what she was wearing. In short, while the victim focuses on the abuse, the abuser focuses on the victim. The strategy of attacking the woman is disappointing, it does not contradict the evidence in Ms Lively’s complaint, and it will fail.

Baldoni’s lawsuit seeks at least $400 million in damages, including lost future earnings. The lawsuit by Baldoni and production company Wayfarer Studios, which also names publicist Leslie Sloane as a defendant, alleges Lively harassed Baldoni and several others associated with the film and attacked their reputations for coming forward. The campaign comes nearly two weeks after the allegation was made. His treatment on the set.