Justin Baldoni’s refusal and Blake Lively to go to mediation for their legal dispute could show what the stars “IT ends with us” really fight.
Baldoni and Lively “can go as far as trial” if one of them will not accept apologies and retract complaints, a legal expert at Fox News Digital said.
“Mediation is a good idea when the parties want to explore the regulation,” said former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani. “Here, animated and Baldoni do not hate each other, try the case in the media and are far from being a colony.
“In fact, this case consists more in sending a message and erasing their names to Hollywood than withdrawing money from the other side,” added the founder of the lawyers for the West Coast. “Without one of them accepting excuses and a retraction, which will not happen, this case can go as far as trial.”
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni refuse mediation, show no sign of the prosecution
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively focus on cleaning their names rather than settling, a legal expert at Fox News Digital said. (Getty Images)
Legal teams for Live and Baldoni told judge Lewis Liman that “settlement discussions would be premature” in a joint letter filed on Thursday in court and obtained by Fox News Digital. The letter also noted that “the parties agree that mediation and discovery protocols … are inappropriate for this case”.
The federal judge agreed with the stars “he ends with us” and granted the order.
The decision of Lively and Reynolds to “advance” with their trial “in its own right” left the expert in public relations Adrienne Uthe “shocked”.
“They have to settle down, the final point. Complete the bloodbath. Finish the drama,” Kronus Communications founder told Fox News Digital. “Unless there is a deep hidden bomb, deeply in the trial or potentially not yet publicly shared, it will not end well for them, which is beyond evidence at this stage.”
“In fact, this case consists more in sending a message and erasing their names to Hollywood than withdrawing money on the other side.”
Justin Baldoni Filming “IT ends with us” May 25, 2023, in Hoboken, NJ (Gotham / GC images)
However, non-regulating will affect Baldoni “very differently”.
“For Justin Baldoni, it will be one of the most stressful things but the best that happened in his life,” said Uthe. “He mentioned that last year was an excellent year for him monetary, but it was very emotional, and we can all see why.
“Not to settle us will allow us to see even more facts for ourselves and to continue our already existing consensus (by social media) that it is on the right on it,” she added. “It may not be perfect, but he is certainly not the monster that the living team tries to represent him. I see an even more fruitful career coming for him.”
Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni: All to know
Justin Baldoni continued Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds for $ 400 million. (Getty Images)
This decision comes when the Lively legal team started hunting for additional evidence to prove that Baldoni has led a smear campaign against the actress. His lawyers assigned Baldoni telephone recordings and other people involved in the confrontation of the hearing room on the alleged plot to ruin the actress’s reputation.
“Ms. Lively has launched a discovery that will expose people, tactics and methods that have worked to” destroy “and” bury “her reputation and family in the past year,” Fox News Digital in Live told Fox A declaration.
Baldoni lawyer, Bryan Freedman, criticized the move as a “fishing expedition”.
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Legal experts have explained that requesting telephone files “is not uncommon” and can “be used to substantially refute a complaint”.
“While some of the information obtained from telephone companies can be useful in the details with which the defendants have spoken and sent a text, and for how long, any advantage obtained from the files is likely to be minimal in the Case of Lively “, Ethan Krasnoo, partner at Reavis Page Jump LLP, told Fox News Digital.
“Simply because a defendant has maintained or sent an SMS to an individual – which the files can show – does not imply them in themselves in an unjustified action, and Lively has already obtained text messages from some of the parties concerned , which constitutes more direct evidence than telephone newspapers. “
Blake Lively continued Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment which, according to him, happened on the set of “It ends with us”. (Jose Perez / Bauer-Griffin / GC images)
In December, Detailed animated allegations of sexual harassmentReprisals, intentional affliction of emotional distress, negligence and more against Baldoni and film producer Jamey Heath in a complaint filed with the California civil rights department and later before the Federal Court.
Baldoni, in his own trial brought in in January, insisted that Lively had “falsely” had the accused “falsely” in order to repair his reputation after the benefits of the film’s press tour after the actress took control from the film. Baldoni’s legal team Revence Lively had no evidence of a deliberate smear campaign and rather worked to repair his reputation by accusing the actor and others of sexual harassment.
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively played in the film based on the novel Colleen Hoover of the same name. (Jose Perez / Bauer-Griffin / GC images)
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Since the case of Lively has depends on the existence of the smear campaign which allegedly initiated by Baldoni, Rahmani has expected the judge to order the telephone recordings.
Watch: Justin Baldoni’s lawyers have done a masterful job by changing the story of Blake Lively: Expert
“Lively tries to prove that Baldoni and his public relations team knew that sexual harassment had occurred, but they tried to blame the victim and move the story to living makeup because she wanted creative control”, said Rahmani. “In Hollywood and in the courtroom, the best defense is often a good offense, and Lively lawyers want to access communications between Baldoni and its publicists to establish their knowledge of harassment and the defamation campaign.
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“The assignments like this are common in disputes,” noted the legal expert. “The parties themselves must produce something relevant for the trial. And even third parties may be forced to put text messages and relevant emails. If the scope of the assignment is too wide, in terms of time , people or content, lawyers will obey or file requests for cancellation or for a protection order, and a judge may limit assignment.
“Because the case of Lively depends on the existence of the smear campaign, and because it would be directly relevant for its damage if it was true, I expect the judge to order Baldoni and his advertising to produce related communications. “
Fox News Digital contacted representatives for Lively and Baldoni to comment.
