The legal battle surrounding Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively’s lawsuits over It Ends With Us has taken on a number of interesting twists and turns, with numerous other celebrities being attached to the case. It certainly makes one wonder what these lawsuits are going to look like when they go to trial. How many celebrities will be on the witness stand? If Lively’s legal team has anything to say about it, not as many as you might think.
What Blake Lively’s Lawyer Says About Ryan Reynolds’ Involvement In This Case
One of the most attention-grabbing parts of all this is Justin Baldoni’s countersuit naming Ryan Reynolds. It includes the allegation that Reynolds' portrayal of Nicepool in Deadpool and Wolverine was an intentional attack against Baldoni.
With Reynolds being a named defendant in one suit, one might expect to see him testify. However, Blake Lively’s attorney, Mike Gottlieb, tells People that they are looking to get the suit against Reynolds dismissed, so he may not be directly involved at all. He said…
Our belief is that they’re frivolous… [Ryan Reynolds] may or may not be a fact witness.
And Ryan Reynolds may not be the only celebrity we won’t see on a witness stand.
It’s been suggested that Reynolds’ pal Hugh Jackman could give a deposition or may testify, as he may have knowledge regarding the Nicepool situation. Likewise, Lively’s friend Taylor Swift has also had her name dropped as being potentially involved by Baldoni’s legal filings. However, Gottleib says he’s not sure why the celebrities are involved, as this case isn’t about them. He continued…
It’s completely unclear what claims or defenses in the case any of these celebrities… have any relevance to at all. This is a case about what happened to Blake Lively when she raised claims of sexual harassment on the set. It’s not a case about how songs were chosen for the movie. It’s not a case about fictional Marvel characters in Deadpool movies.
According to Blake Lively’s lawyer, there isn't a relevant reason to include other A-listers. However, Justin Baldoni's lawyer's feelings about this are different.
How Justin Baldoni’s Lawyer Responded By Referencing Blake Lively’s 'Dragons' Comment
While the high-profile celebrities may not be at the heart of Blake Lively’s harassment lawsuit, Justin Baldoni’s legal team believes they are relevant to his countersuit. In a statement to People, the It Ends With Us director's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, said it was Lively herself who brought Reynolds and Swift into the case. He said…
Although obviously uncomfortable for the Lively parties, the truth is not a distraction. The truth has been clearly shown through unedited receipts, documents and real life footage. More to come. Blake was the one who brought her high-profile friends into this situation without concern for their own personal or public backlash. As the truth shows, she used her Dragons to manipulate Justin at every turn.
The “dragons” comment is a reference to a text Lively sent to Baldoni that's made many headlines since it was quoted in the filing. She referred to herself as Game of Thrones’ Khaleesi, and Reynolds and Swift as her dragons following a meeting in which Baldoni said he was pushed into making changes to scenes in It Ends With Us.
It’s been reported that Taylor Swift specifically is unhappy about being dragged into the suit, and it may have put a strain on the friendship between her and Blake Lively. If Lively’s team is successful in getting parts of Baldoni’s suit thrown out, such that Swift and Reynolds won’t need to testify, that could change the narrative.
The lawsuit isn’t scheduled to go to trial until next year, but decisions on the motions to dismiss will certainly happen sooner.
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