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Attorney Bryan Freedman, representing actor/director Justin Baldoni, appeared on the November 8th episode of the “2 Angry Men Podcast” with hosts Mark Geragos and Harvey Levin, pushing back against claims that Baldoni’s team “missed a crucial filing deadline” in the explosive Baldoni v. Lively case.
Freedman also called out TMZ’s coverage specifically, again clarifying that no appeal deadline was missed and that TMZ reports stemmed from “a misunderstanding of legal procedure.”
“Before anyone can even file an appeal, there has to be a final judgment,” Freedman explained. “The judge only issued that a few days ago and even reserved it from being appealable until after ruling on the attorney fees motion. So there was no missed deadline, because there was no deadline yet.”
Levin, who acknowledged that TMZ’s initial report was incorrect, admitted, “We screwed that up. It wasn’t analyzed right.” He explained that his newsroom “counted the wrong date” and immediately corrected the story after Freedman’s clarification.
Freedman emphasized that the misunderstanding actually originated from Lively’s legal team, accusing them of spinning the story to make it seem as though Baldoni’s side had given up on the countersuit.
“That spin came directly from the Lively camp,” Freedman said. “They tried to portray this as a legal victory when, in fact, nothing procedural had changed.” Freedman added that he and Baldoni are actually “excited to go to trial,” noting that Baldoni has no interest in settling. “We’re looking toward trial and we’re confident in the facts. The case has always been about whether there was sexual harassment and whether there was a smear campaign. A jury will decide.”
Levin, Geragos and Freedman also discussed media bias, Hollywood influence, and what Levin referred to as “the TikTok jury.” Freedman admitted that social media has been very fair to Baldoni, crediting audiences for “seeing through the noise.”
The legal feud between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively began in early 2025 after Lively filed a $161 million civil lawsuit accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment, retaliation, and defamation linked to their work on “It Ends with Us,” a film he directed and co-produced through his production company, Wayfarer Studios. Lively claimed Baldoni “smeared her reputation” and caused “irreparable harm” to her career.
Baldoni, known for “Jane the Virgin,” vehemently denied the allegations and filed a countersuit alleging defamation and malicious interference with his business partnerships. That countersuit was dismissed in June 2025, leading to widespread media reports that Baldoni’s team had failed to meet procedural deadlines, a claim that Freedman dismantled on the podcast.
“This case has always been about two questions: was there sexual harassment, and was there a smear campaign? We’re confident the jury will see the truth,” he told Geragos and Levin.
The case, filed in the Southern District of New York under Judge Lewis Liman, remains one of Hollywood’s most closely watched legal battles since the Depp-Heard defamation trial. Both sides have accused the other of weaponizing the press. The trial is scheduled in NY for March 2026.
The post Baldoni’s Lawyer Says Blake Lively’s Camp Misled Media Over Missed Deadline Claims appeared first on LAmag.
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Lauren Conlin
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