Justin Baldoni's lawyer plans to sue Blake Lively after 'NYT' lawsuit

Justin Baldoni's attorney Brian Friedman “absolutely” plans to sue Blake Lively on behalf of the client.

Friedman was asked NBC News in an interview on Thursday, Jan. 2, whether he plans to sue Lively, 37, on behalf of It ends with us director. Friedman replied, “Absolutely … yes.”

“We plan to release every text message between the two of them,” Freedman told the outlet. “We want the truth out. We want the documents out. We want people to make their decision based on the receipt.

It comes after Baldoni, 40, filed a $250 million lawsuit vs The New York Times on Tuesday, December 31. The actor and director are suing for defamation and false invasion of privacy The New York Times' is reporting on costar Lively after she sued him for sexual harassment.

Related: Justin Baldoni files a $250 million lawsuit against the New York Times

This Ends With Us director and star Justin Baldoni has filed a lawsuit against The New York Times following its reporting on actor Blake Lively after she sued him for sexual harassment. Baldoni, 40, filed a $250 million lawsuit against Lively, 37, in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday, Dec. 31, according to Us Weekly. (…)

Baldoni was one of 10 plaintiffs a court casewhich includes publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel as well as It ends with a Us manufacturers James Heath and Steve Saraovichwho initiated legal proceedings against the medium.

Baldoni sued the same day The New York Times, Lively officially filed a lawsuit vs. Baldoni, Nathan and Abel with Wayfarer Studios in the Southern District of New York.

The lawsuit alleges sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and lost wages. The claims are similar to those made in Lively's complaint filed last week with the California Department of Civil Rights.

Lively talked about her legal activity via Saturday, December 21 notice to Us Weekly.

“I hope my legal action will help pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about wrongdoing and help protect others who may be targeted,” she said.

A New York Times said the representative Us Weekly on Tuesday, Dec. 31, in a statement that the outlet plans to “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.”

“The job of an independent news organization is to follow the facts where they lead,” the statement said. “Our story was carefully and responsibly reported. It was based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails that we quote accurately and extensively in the article. Those text messages and emails were also the primary cause of the discrimination claim filed by the California filed by Blake Lively v. Justin Baldoni et al.

The statement continued: “To clear up some inaccuracies in the lawsuit, by seeking comment from Mr. Baldoni and others who will be named in the article, The Times shared the information we planned to publish, including references to specific text messages and documents, asked them to identify any inaccuracies, provide additional context and to speak with our team Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer and other entities chose not to have any conversations with The Times or address any of the specific text messages or documents and instead sent a joint response, which was published in full. (They also sent their response to The Times at 11:16 p.m. ET on Dec. 20, not at 2:16 a.m. ET on Dec. 21, as the complaint states.)

In response to Baldoni's lawsuit, Lively's lawyer said We on Tuesday, Dec. 31, that the lawsuit was based on a “manifestly false premise.”

“Nothing in this lawsuit alters the claims made in Ms. Lively's California Department of Civil Rights complaint, nor in her federal complaint filed today,” the statement said. “This lawsuit is based on the patently false premise that Ms. Lively's administrative complaint against Wayfarer and others was a ruse based on her choice 'not to file suit against Baldoni, Wayfarer' and that 'litigation was never her primary goal.'” According to Lively's Ms.'s federal complaint today, this Wayfarer lawsuit reference system is false.While we won't litigate this case in the press, we encourage people read Ms. Lively's complaint in full We look forward to litigating each of Wayfarer's claims.

Friedman also shared a statement with Us Weeklypromising to “tear down” The New York Times for his “vicious smear campaign”.

“In this vicious smear campaign entirely orchestrated by Blake Lively and her team, New York Times bowed to the wishes and whims of two powerful 'untouchable' Hollywood elites, disregarding the journalistic practices and ethics once befitting a respectable publication, using fabricated and manipulated texts and deliberately omitting texts that challenge their chosen PR narrative,” he said in a statement. We on Tuesday, December 31. “In doing so, they pre-determined the outcome of their story and aided and abetted their own disastrous PR smear campaign aimed at reviving Lively's self-inflicted battered public image and combating criticism among the online public. The irony is rich. “

He continued, “Make no mistake though, for we all unite to destroy NY Times no longer allowing them to mislead the public, we will continue this campaign of authenticity by also suing those individuals who have abused their power to attempt to destroy the lives of my clients. While their side embraces partial truths, we embrace the full truth and have all the communication options to back it up. The public will decide for themselves, as they did when it first started.