(Photograph by Mat Hayward/WireImage)
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Blake Vigorous has requested a decide to dismiss Justin Baldoni’s defamation case in opposition to her. In late 2024, Vigorous sued Baldoni for sexual harassment whereas filming It Ends With Us.
Baldoni’s countersuit, price $400 million, accuses Vigorous of defamation. Vigorous’s new submitting described Baldoni’s countersuit as “a blunt public relations instrument designed to additional the Wayfarer Events’ sinister marketing campaign to ‘bury’ and ‘destroy’ Ms. Vigorous for talking out about sexual harassment and retaliation.”
“California has an curiosity in not solely guaranteeing that its employers adjust to its legal guidelines but additionally in defending Ms. Vigorous’s train of her proper to talk out about and search cures for sexual harassment and retaliation,” Vigorous’s memo added.
In California regulation, Meeting Invoice 933 obliges events who’ve filed defamation lawsuits to pay for the defendant’s authorized charges and damages ought to the plaintiff lose. Evidently, the results for Baldoni might be catastrophic. However his allegations of defamation in opposition to Vigorous are an ironic twist of occasions. Vigorous herself accused Baldoni of tarnishing her popularity by means of PR efforts in 2024.
Justin Baldoni’s alleged smear marketing campaign
A controversial article from the New York Instances uncovered an alleged marketing campaign designed to damage Vigorous’s popularity. This smear marketing campaign was led by a PR agency employed by Justin Baldoni. One of many disaster administration specialists, Melissa Nathan reportedly stated, “You recognize we will bury anybody.”
This revelation appears to coincide with the general public reception of Blake Vigorous after the launch of This Ends With Us. Many accounts on X accused Vigorous of downplaying themes of home violence, which was a central theme to the film. A flood of causes to “cancel” Vigorous stormed on-line areas. Particularly, a clip of Vigorous in an older interview resurfaced—one made her look like an disagreeable interviewee. The reporter concerned, Kjersti Flaa, expressed that the interview made her “wish to stop” her job.
In distinction, on-line discourse hailed Justin Baldoni as a feminist ally. He was depicted as a quiet man who needed to raise ladies—who cared about home violence. One was witch-hunted, and one was honored as a folks hero. These coincidences are certainly one thing to take a position about.
Is it too quickly to say #MeToo?
This wouldn’t be the primary time a Hollywood star spoke out in opposition to a male actor for abusive conduct however had the narrative turned in opposition to her attributable to a defamation swimsuit. Amber Heard was accused of defamation by her ex-husband, Johnny Depp. The jurors sided with Depp, who was awarded $15 million in damages. Baldoni employed the identical PR disaster supervisor that Depp used.
Heard just lately commented on the continued Vigorous-Baldoni case. “Social media is absolutely the personification of the traditional saying, ‘A lie travels midway around the globe earlier than fact can get its boots on.’ I noticed this firsthand and up shut. It’s as horrifying as it’s harmful,” she advised NBC Information.
Blake Vigorous and Justin Baldoni’s trial has been set for March 2026.
