Justin Baldoni’s lawyer says that the actor’s impending lawsuit against Blake Lively will not only bring forth the “truth” — but also expose “those who believe themselves untouchable.”
"This is not a response or countersuit — it’s a deliberate pursuit of truth,” attorney Bryan Freedman exclusively tells PEOPLE of Baldoni's forthcoming lawsuit, which follows Lively’s explosive complaint accusing Baldoni, 40, of sexual harassment on the set of It Ends with Us and a subsequent retaliatory smear campaign.
Freedman, a veteran Hollywood lawyer, also says that Baldoni’s filing will “expose” falsities in Lively’s complaint — specifically a series of private text messages that allegedly show Baldoni texting and emailing with PR executive Jennifer Abel and crisis management expert Melissa Nathan as they planned what Lively, 37, alleges was a smear campaign orchestrated to "destroy" her reputation.
“This lawsuit will uncover and expose the false and destructive narrative that was intentionally engineered by a trusted media publication who relied upon nefarious sources and neglected a thorough fact checking process to confirm the validity of these texts,” Freedman tells PEOPLE.
“There is an insurmountable collection of authentic evidence, including timelines and communications, which have not been doctored or spliced without context, unlike the altered [New York Times] story that ran on Saturday, December 21st 2024,” he continues in the written statement.
The article Freedman is referring to — titled “ ‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine” — broke the news of Lively’s complaint the day after she filed it in California.
“In over three decades of legal practice, I’ve never witnessed such unethical behavior, fueled by those who abuse their power and manipulate the truth,” Freedman adds. “This isn’t an isolated case; it’s a recurring pattern in Hollywood and the mainstream media where careers and reputations are destroyed to maintain control.”
“Legacy media has long weaponized their platforms to distort the truth, exploit vulnerabilities, and destroy lives without accountability,” the attorney continues. “These lawsuits will confront this system head-on, ensuring that no individual or entity, no matter how influential, can continue perpetuating this cycle of fear and destruction."
"The truth will not only come to light — it will dismantle the illusions propped up by those who believe themselves untouchable,” Freedman concludes.
A representative for Lively did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Sunday, Dec. 29.
The attorney's latest statement comes shortly after the Daily Mail's Dec. 27 report that as soon as the courts reopen in the new year, Baldoni plans to file a countersuit against Lively. Freedman told the British outlet that the forthcoming filling will “shock everyone.”
The Daily Mail also reported that Baldoni’s impending filing will contain specific claims about Lively’s PR team, led by her publicist Leslie Sloane, including the allegation that Sloane planted stories to paint the actor-director in a bad light and led a smear campaign against him — not the other way around, as Lively’s complaint alleges.