Dan Abrams Predicts There’s ‘No Way’ Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni Case Gets Settled: ‘I Don’t See How They Avoid Trial’
Mediaite founder Dan Abrams believes there’s a “very high” chance the case between actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni goes to trial.
Lively, in December 2024, filed a sexual harassment complaint against Baldoni. The two starred in the film It Ends With Us — which Baldoni directed. Lively told The New York Times that she was the victim of a smear campaign as a result of speaking out against the alleged harassment. In response, Baldoni filed a $400 million defamation suit against Lively, her husband — fellow actor Ryan Reynolds — and a host of others. He also sued The New York Times for running a story on Lively’s allegations. That same day, Lively filed her own lawsuit and Wayfarer Studios for “retaliating against her for reporting sexual harassment.”
On Wednesday, Good Morning America reported on the latest development in the case — THAT Lively had withdrawn her emotional distress claim from the lawsuit. The decision came after Baldoni’s legal team requested access to her medical records.
Abrams — who serves as the chief legal analyst for ABC News — said the latest update was a “small victory” for Baldoni. When GMA co-host Michael Strahan asked how likely they are to still go to trial, Abrams predicted that chances were “very high.”
“I don’t see how they avoid trial,” Abrams said. “I mean, people don’t believe it. I don’t see how they get out of this at this point. They’re suing each other, right? Who’s going to drop the case? There’s no way he’s going to drop it considering where he is right now, right? So is she going to settle for a lot of money? No way. So I think this becomes like Johnny Depp and Amber Heard — one of these cases people said, ‘Oh, there’s no way it’ll actually go to trial,’ and then it actually goes to trial. So I’m betting on this case going to trial.”
Watch above via ABC
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