A federal judge in New York dismissed Justin Baldoni’s defamation lawsuits against his This Ends with Us co-star Blake Lively and The New York Times on Monday. He gave Baldoni until June 23 to refile some of his other claims.
Lively and her legal team have since celebrated like she was handed a total victory in the bitter legal drama that began in December 2024 when she filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department claiming Baldoni sexually harassed her during filming and retaliated against her after she raised issues about his on-set behavior. But Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, is saying not so fast.
On Wednesday’s show, Freedman joined Megyn to discuss where the case stands and why his client has no intention of settling with Lively.
The Dismissal
Freedman admitted Baldoni and the rest of the legal team “are not pleased” with the judge’s decision to toss the defamation causes of action in his $400 million and $250 million lawsuits against Lively and The Times respectively, but he said the case “was never really about defamation.”
“From the very start, this case was about somebody being wrongfully accused, and that is Justin,” he explained. “What I believe is going on is that the judge is getting through all of this and saying, ‘Hey, we’re going to pare this down to really what the issues are in the case. I don’t want collateral stuff going on. I just want answers to the key questions.”
Those “key questions,” according to Freedman, include whether or not there was “sexual harassment” and/or “a smear campaign.” He said the answer to both are no, and Baldoni is prepared to defend himself.
“We now know exactly what those allegations are. We have a specific understanding of what those allegations are. We’ve seen video that shows exactly what happened in the scene that she said was so inappropriate, and we’ve seen the text messages about coming to my trailer. We’ve seen the evidence that directly refutes the allegations of sexual harassment,” Freedman said. “In this case, it’s truly about trying to prove that you didn’t sexually harass someone.”
How Baldoni Feels
In the wake of the judge’s decision, Freedman said Baldoni feels like there is “injustice” because his career has suffered as a result of Lively’s claims. But there is still much to be done in the larger legal battle.
Next up is the discovery process and deposing Lively, which could happen as early as this month. “Nothing is as significant as taking her deposition, going through that process, getting the witness testimony and the witnesses deposed, and going into the courtroom and showing the truth to show that there was no sexual harassment,” Freedman said. “Nothing is more important than that.”
Headed for Trial
The judge has tentatively set the trial for March 2026, and Freedman said he client intends to see this through until then. “From the beginning, the chances of settlement were next to zero when you add the parties that are involved in this,” he said. “While he would have liked to get millions of dollars to compensate him for his damages as a result of the defamation, that was always secondary to showing that there was no sexual harassment. When you’re accused of something wrongfully, when you have to prove your innocence in order to continue to work, there are very little choices here.”
When Megyn asked Freedman if Baldoni had already succeeded in clearing his name because Lively has all but lost the PR war, he said there is still more to do. “He has put evidence out, and he has put truth out, and people have made their own determinations… But I don’t think he has gotten that moment where a court and a jury of his peers say, ‘No, this is not sexual harassment,'” he noted. “And I think these people want to be absolved on a public level from a jury of their peers.”
In case there was any room for doubt, Freedman had a very succinct answer when Megyn asked if Baldoni is in this battle until the final jury verdict: “Yes.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Freedman by tuning in to episode 1,092 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.