Legal expert Gregory Doll, who isn’t involved in the case, is of the opinion that Blake Lively’s lawsuit against her It Ends with Us co-star and director, Justin Baldoni, will likely go to trial if there is no settlement. Doll is a partner at Doll Amir & Eley LLP, a boutique law firm that focuses on intellectual property, commercial, and entertainment litigation in Los Angeles.
Accused by Lively, 37, of sexual harassment while filming, Baldoni, 40, has launched a counter-slander campaign to smear her reputation, she alleged in a complaint filed with the California Civil Rights Department. Other defendants include members of the production team and others allegedly involved in the campaign. The amount of damages sought is not specified.
Doll notes that a case like this is often settled but can turn into a high-profile trial. Doll shared with People, “The most likely cases that don’t [settle] are the ones like these where it gets intensely personal between two people.”
He continued, “The reason is when you get into what we call discovery when you are exchanging documents and you find out some of the things that happen behind the scenes that you didn’t know about, the plaintiff gets outraged.”
Lively has filed a lawsuit against It Ends With Us co-star and director Baldoni for sexual harassment as well as a smear campaign against her aimed at ruining her public reputation.
Bryan Freedman, the lawyer for Baldoni, said Lively’s allegations were “false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious” and an attempt to “fix her negative reputation.” He further claimed that Lively was disruptive on set, threatening to leave the production and the promotional tour.
Lively responded to that via The New York Times, saying her lawsuit hopes to bring to light the dangers of retaliatory tactics against people who speak out about wrongdoing. She told the publication, “I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted.”
According to Doll, if the California Civil Rights Department will not mediate with Baldoni or his production company Wayfarer Studios to settle things out, Lively will then be issued a ‘right to sue’ letter which lets her take the case in court.
Following the legal complaint, Justin Baldoni has been dealt with some consequences in the form of losing his talent agency WME. Whether the case is mediated or goes to court is yet to be seen.
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