Blake Lively faces major setback in $400 million lawsuit with Justin Baldoni

Blake Lively's publicist Leslie Sloane seeks dismissal from a $400 million lawsuit filed by Justin Baldoni.

On February 20, Sloane's lawyer, Sigrid McCawley, filed a motion to dismiss in federal court in New York, requesting reimbursement of legal fees and removal of Sloane and her firm, Vision PR, from the countersuit.

The petition, as per People magazine, claims that they were "dragged" into the legal dispute as a "smoke and mirrors exercise to distract from" Lively's claims of sexual harassment and retaliation, suggesting that there is no "basis" for charging Sloane of spreading "malicious stories" or starting a "smear campaign."

Sloane's lawyers assert that Baldoni's lawyers fail to "identify where or how the alleged extortion occurred" or explain how Sloane "received anything of value because of that extortion."

Lively, 37, is defended by Sloane's solicitors in other parts of the document against Baldoni's portrayal of the dispute as a creative battle to take over It Ends With Us.

"Baldoni’s allegations about the creative issues are irrelevant and tellingly sexist. Because Ms Lively — an executive producer on the film — dared to offer input on the script, wardrobe and editing, Baldoni blasts her as 'tyrannical' and 'aggressive,' among other coded terms."

They added, "When Ms Lively bravely spoke up about Baldoni’s predatory behaviour, he and his team used every weapon in their arsenal to blame, embarrass and silence her, going so far as to hire a crisis PR manager who promised to 'bury' Ms Lively and 'destroy' her life."

The Age of Adaline star has updated her December lawsuit against Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and several others, accusing them of sexual harassment, retaliation, and orchestrating an online smear campaign to damage her reputation after she reported alleged misconduct.