After a monthslong chess match with Blake Lively's lawyers, Justin Baldoni's legal team is aiming to wipe the board clean.
Baldoni's lead counsel, Alexandra Shapiro, filed a motion on Nov. 12 for summary judgment. The move aims to have Lively's sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit decided in his favor without a jury trial. The legal strategy is based on the argument that neither side is contesting the facts, and that if they are all accepted as true, the law is still on the side of the petitioner – in this case, Baldoni.
Baldoni, 41, and Lively, 38, who costarred in the summer 2024 blockbuster "It Ends with Us," have been locked in a contentious court battle for nearly a year. Following a much-talked-about press tour for the film, Lively filed a civil rights complaint against Baldoni last December, alleging that he engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct and then helped orchestrate a "smear campaign" against her in retaliation for speaking up. The complaint was followed by a formal lawsuit.
Baldoni then took legal action of his own, filing a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times for publishing an exposé detailing Lively's claims (the complaint was dismissed in June). He also filed a countersuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, for defamation, which was similarly tossed on Oct. 31.
