Justin Baldoni’s Lawyer Says Actor Was ‘Destroyed’ By Blake Lively’s Lawsuit

During a recent appearance on a podcast, the attorney said his client has been “destroyed” by the accusations, and the only way to clean up his reputation was to prove his innocence.

Bryan Freedman also clarified why Justin Baldoni created a website to post his allegations against Blake Lively.

Since December, Baldoni and Lively have been involved in a contentious legal dispute, with the actress accusing her co-star of sexual harassment and other allegations.

The situation has since degenerated into a media war between the lawyers of both parties. Baldoni has also filed a countersuit against Lively and another against the New York Times for its reporting of the allegations made by the actress.

As things continue to unfold, the possibility of a settlement on the initial suit has been deemed unlikely by Baldoni’s lawyer, Freedman.

The attorney had appeared on a podcast, “The Town,” where the host, Matthew Belloni, suggested that Baldoni might be willing to settle due to the “potential for the circus and the damage to both sides” of a trial.

In response, Freedman brushed off the “circus” narrative while also explaining that the allegations had done deep damage to Baldoni.

“The reality is this is not a circus when you go through an experience like this,” Freedman said, per Us Weekly. “I’ve represented a lot of people in the worst moments of their career, the worst moments of their life. Justin has been destroyed by this.”

Speaking further, Freedman seemed to explain that a settlement won’t allow Baldoni to prove his innocence against Lively’s accusations.

“In this day and age, the only way that you can truly get back is to prove your innocence, and that’s what we’re actively working to [do],” he shared. “That may only be able to be done in a courtroom.”

The accusations, which Freedman referred to as a “really serious thing,” involve claims that Baldoni inserted unscripted and unwelcome kisses during filming, often spoke about struggles with pornography addiction and detailed sexual experiences, and entered her trailer without permission while she was nursing her baby.

Lively also accused the film director of spearheading a smear campaign against her and included texts that supported the allegations.

Following the sexual harassment lawsuit, Baldoni refuted the allegations and subsequently created a website where he detailed his own version of the story.

According to Freedman, Baldoni took such an expected step to fight back against the narrative Lively had seemingly promoted in the New York Times story.

“The minute the New York Times story came out, Justin was done for all intents and purposes,” the attorney said.

He added, “The court of public opinion was against him. There was no side that he had in this. There were no facts that were on his side… It was really important to come out with real, true facts.”

Freedman also said that the website made accessing all of the relevant materials easier for those seeking the truth about the matter.

“The website is actually a culmination of public pleadings that are publicly accessible and had been filed and they are easily accessible,” the attorney further remarked. “It’s a place where you can find things.”

Since the initial filing, Lively has updated her suit to include a defamation claim while also alleging that she was not the only one Baldoni made uncomfortable on the set of “It Ends With Us.”

She also added Jed Wallace and his Texas-based crisis PR firm, Street Relations, Inc., as defendants in her complaint, accusing him of working with Baldoni to smear her.

Meanwhile, her legal team subpoenaed cell carriers to get “receipts” to aid in her feud against the film director.

“Ms. Lively has initiated discovery that will expose the people, tactics, and methods that have worked to ‘destroy’ and ‘bury’ her reputation and family over the past year,” her attorneys said in a statement at the time.

Her request was unfortunately denied by the judge presiding over the case; however, Lively recently scored a legal win in court.

Judge Lewis Liman granted Lively’s protective order request in her legal battle with Baldoni, but the court limited the scope of the restrictions she sought.

Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds asked Judge Liman to place a protective order before they divulge conversations with “high-profile” people about her time on “It Ends With Us,” as they fear Baldoni could leak them to the press.

According to People Magazine, the judge ruled that while certain confidential materials remain protected, an “Attorneys’ Eyes Only” designation can only be applied if their disclosure is “highly likely to cause a significant business, commercial, financial or privacy injury.”

“And where confidential information is not disclosed to the media, it may spread by gossip and innuendo to those in the tight artistic community in a position to do harm to one or the other of the parties but in a manner that might not be readily and immediately detected,” Liman ruled.

Currently, a trial date for Baldoni and Lively has been slated for March 2026, while pretrial motions are still ongoing.