Ryan Reynolds is under fire for attempting to distance himself from a lawsuit that Justin Baldoni’s attorney claims he played a significant role in shaping.
On Tuesday, Reynolds filed a motion to be dismissed from Baldoni’s $400 million defamation lawsuit, which stemmed from allegations made by Reynolds’ wife Blake Lively, accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment.
In his request, Reynolds described himself as a ‘supportive spouse who has witnessed firsthand the emotional, reputational and financial devastation’ Lively endured.
He also claimed Baldoni was attempting to ‘shame’ him for being ‘the kind of man who is confident enough to listen to the woman in his life and stand with her.’
But Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman isn’t having it.
Speaking to TMZ on Wednesday, he fired back, saying, ‘Mr. Reynolds’ exploitation of his enormous power in Hollywood continues, this time arrogantly asking to be dismissed from the case despite his publicly documented involvement extending far beyond just being a ‘supportive spouse.’
Ryan Reynolds is under fire for attempting to distance himself from a lawsuit that Justin Baldoni ’s (seen in 2024) attorney claims he played a significant role in shaping
On Tuesday, Reynolds (seen in February) filed a motion to be dismissed from Baldoni’s $400 million lawsuit , which stemmed from allegations made by Reynolds’ wife Blake Lively , accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment.
Freedman doubled down, accusing Reynolds of playing a central role in what he called a smear campaign.
‘Mr. Reynolds was a key player in the scheme, defaming Justin around Hollywood, strong-arming WME into dropping Justin as a client, and trying to destroy Justin’s career however possible.’
As previously reported, Reynolds’ filing also took aim at Baldoni’s claims that the ‘Nicepool’ character in Deadpool & Wolverine was meant to mock him, dismissing the actor as ‘thin-skinned.’
Freedman, however, scoffed at Reynolds’ attempt to exit the case.
‘His fingerprints have been all over this smear campaign against Justin and the Wayfarer team since day one. Mr. Reynolds now attempts to reduce plainly cognizable claims to ‘hurt feelings,’ sending a clear message that bullying is acceptable.’
He didn’t stop there, adding, ‘After lighting a match, Mr. Reynolds now seeks to run from the flames. It won’t work. The Wayfarer Parties’ claims against him are real, and they are serious.
‘Mr. Reynolds can appear on as many sketch shows as he wants and feebly try to make light of his current situation, but we will not stop until he is held accountable for his actions.’
That ‘sketch shows’ dig appears to reference Reynolds’ SNL 50 appearance, where he and Lively seemingly mocked their ongoing legal drama with Baldoni.
But Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman isn’t having it. Speaking to TMZ on Wednesday, he fired back, saying, ‘Mr. Reynolds’ exploitation of his enormous power in Hollywood continues, this time arrogantly asking to be dismissed from the case despite his publicly documented involvement extending far beyond just being a ‘supportive spouse’
Reynolds is seeking dismissal with prejudice, which would bar Baldoni from re-filing the suit in the future.
But judging by the fire coming from Baldoni’s legal team, they’re prepared to fight that every step of the way.
In his request for dismissal, Reynolds said he was entitled to have a low opinion of Baldoni because of what he put his wife through.
The papers said: ‘Mr. Reynolds has a First Amendment right to hold Mr. Baldoni – or any man who Mr. Reynolds believes sexually harassed his wife – in ‘deep disdain.’
The filing marks an extraordinary twist in the epic battle between Baldoni, Reynolds and Lively.
Lively was the first to sue in December last year, alleging that Baldoni ordered a ‘smear campaign’ against her due to tensions on the set of It Ends With Us, a domestic violence drama.
Baldoni, 41, retaliated with a $400 million defamation case against Lively, 37, and Reynolds, 48, as well as the New York Times, which ran a lengthy article about her claims.
In his latest salvo, Reynolds demanded that he be dismissed from the case on several grounds, but his scorching language indicated how personal the dispute has become.
His lawyers asked: ‘What does Ryan Reynolds have to do with (this case), legally speaking, other than being a supportive spouse who has witnessed firsthand the emotional, reputational, and financial devastation Ms. Lively has suffered? Nothing.’
Reynolds claimed that the only reason he was named as a defendant was because Steve Sarowitz, the co-founder of Baldoni’s production company Wayfarer Studios, had pledged $100 million to ‘ruin’ him and Lively.
The Deadpool star claims that Baldoni’s allegations are ‘polluting this court’s docket with hundreds of paragraphs of clickbait, designed for an audience other than this court, with virtually no bearing on cognizable legal claim’.
Reynolds notes that the allegations against him refer to two occasions he supposedly called Baldoni a ‘predator’.
But Reynolds says that this is protected speech – because he firmly believes it.
The filing states: ‘The (complaint filed by Baldoni) alleges no plausible facts that suggest Mr. Reynolds did not believe this comment to be true; instead, the relevant allegations suggest that Mr. Reynolds genuinely, perhaps passionately, believes that Mr Baldoni’s behavior is reflective of a ‘predator’.
Reynolds then referred to Nicepool, a mockingly woke character in Deadpool & Wolverine’ which premiered last July, which Baldoni claims is based on him – even down to the man bun hairstyle.
The document says Baldoni’s ‘thin-skinned outrage over a movie character, the satirical “woke” Nicepool, does not even pretend to be tied to any actual legal claims.
Baldoni said ‘I’m sure I have crossed boundaries and lines in my teens and twenties not even thinking about it simply because of the porn I was consuming,’ according to Reynolds’s motion
‘Instead, it falls into the general allegation of “hurt feelings” which in reality is nothing more than a desperate effort to advance the same curated “bully” image that (Baldoni) created and disseminated in the retaliation campaign they launched against Ms. Lively in August of 2024’.
In another blistering passage, Reynolds says that Baldoni’s complaint, which ran to 179 pages, was ‘long on hyperbole’.
He writes: ‘It is, in essence, a burn book filled with grievances attempting to shame Mr. Reynolds for being the kind of man who is “confident enough to listen” to the woman in his life and to hold her “anguish and actually stand with her’.
Reynolds goes on defending Lively, saying he is allowed to stand up for her.
In another startling passage, Reynolds uses Baldoni’s own public comments against him to demonstrate he is a self-confessed predator.
He says that Baldoni’s own statements contain ‘numerous references to conduct that a reasonable observer could well consider predatory’.
They include a 2023 YouTube interview in which Baldoni said: ‘I’m sure I have crossed boundaries and lines in my teens and twenties not even thinking about it simply because of the porn I was consuming.’
In a 2021 episode of his podcast, Man Enough’ in which he talked about masculinity, Baldoni said: ‘I grew up and I had an addiction to porn. I was introduced to porn at 10 years old, formed these neural pathways in my brain, and it caused me to see the world very differently.’
It Ends With Us explores the generational effects of domestic violence
Baldoni and Lively have been at war since production of the movie ended with Lively claiming he sexually harassed her
In another episode of the podcast, Baldoni admitted: ‘Because we never. . . no one ever sits us down and teaches us about consent. We learn it through porn.’
According to the filing, Baldoni has also admitted to using ‘violent’ language about women such as: ‘Did you smash that?’ saying he wanted to ‘claim’ women.
Baldoni once said he had ‘not treated women with the respect he knows they deserved, both socially and romantically’, the filing states.
Reynolds concludes: ‘While it is unclear what ‘predator’ means to an average listener, it is quite clear that there is no discernible distinction between the gist of Mr. Reynolds’ purported statements and the very behavior to which Mr. Baldoni has repeatedly confessed in public appearances, including that he spent years of his life mistreating women, which he attributes to a lengthy addiction to pornography, as well as openly describing his distorted conception of “consent” in sexual relationships.’
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