Shortly after a U.S. district judge dismissed Justin Baldoni’s $400 million defamation lawsuit against Blake Lively, the “It Ends With Us” star made a rare social media statement admitting to feeling pain and “manufactured shame” amid her ongoing legal battle.
“Last week, I stood proudly alongside 19 organizations united in defending women’s rights to speak up for their safety. Like so many others, I’ve felt the pain of a retaliatory lawsuit, including the manufactured shame that tries to break us. While the suit against me was defeated, so many don’t have the resources to fight back,” Lively wrote in her Instagram stories. “I’m more resolved than ever to continue to stand for every woman’s right to have a voice in protecting themselves, including their safety, their integrity, their dignity and their story. There are protections out there. Check out some of the incredible organizations below for resources and information.”
On the story, Lively tagged a list of organizations for relevant resources and information for women to safely speak out: California Employment Lawyers Association; California Women’s Law Center; CHILD USA; Coalition Against Trafficking in Women; Equal Rights Advocates; Esperanza United; Her Justice; Herunivercity Inc.; National Network to End Domestic Violence; National Organization for Women; National Organization for Women NYC; New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault; New York Cyber Abuse Task Force; New York State Anti-Trafficking Coalition; Sanctuary for Families; Urban Resource Institute; Women’s Equal Justice; and Women’s Justice NOW.
She signed off the note: “With love and gratitude for the may who stood by me, many of you I know. Many of you I don’t. But I will never stop appreciating or advocating for you.”
On Monday, Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed Baldoni’s $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and the New York Times, which first reported on the actress’ claims of sexual harassment and her director’s alleged retaliatory campaign against her in December.
“The alleged facts indicate that the Times reviewed the available evidence and reported, perhaps in a dramatized manner, what it believed to have happened,” Liman wrote of the Times’ reporting.
Lively filed a motion to have the defamation lawsuit dismissed in March, citing a 2023 law signed by Gavin Newsom in the wake of the #MeToo movement that protects victims of sexual harassment, assault and related allegations against retaliatory efforts from the accused.
“Today’s opinion is a total victory and a complete vindication for Blake Lively,” Lively’s lawyers, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, said in a statement Monday of Liman’s dismissal. “This ‘$400 million’ lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it.”
The New York Times also shared a statement Monday applauding Liman’s dismissal of the Baldoni suit.
“We are grateful to the court for seeing the lawsuit against The New York Times for what it was: a meritless attempt to stifle honest reporting,” a spokesperson said. “Our journalists went out and covered carefully and fairly a story of public importance, and the court recognized that the law is designed to protect just that sort of journalism. We will continue to stand up in court for our journalism and for our journalists when their work comes under attack.”
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