Justin Baldoni Claims Blake Lively’s Publicist Made A ‘Scapegoat’ Of Him

Justin Baldoni has filed new legal documents asking the court to toss Blake Lively‘s publicist’s request to be dismissed from their contentious legal battle.

Baldoni alleged that Lively’s publicist, Leslie Sloane, made him a “scapegoat” and “played an active and integral role in a conspiracy to inflict harm” on him.

It comes as Blake Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, seek a protective order for their conversations with other celebrities over fears Justin Baldoni’s camp could leak them.

Baldoni is arguing that Lively’s publicist, Sloane, should not be removed from their contentious lawsuit as she made him the “scapegoat” for the actress’s “woes.”

Through her lawyer, Sigrid McCawley, Sloane submitted legal documents for her and her firm, Vision PR, to be dismissed from Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios’ countersuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and herself.

However, according to the Daily Mail, the “It Ends With Us” actor submitted legal paperwork to contest the request, claiming that Sloane and her firm “played an active and integral role in a conspiracy to inflict harm” against him, his production company, and his PR team of Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel.

Baldoni said in the memorandum of opposition that Sloane “conspired” with Lively, Reynolds, and the New York Times to “make scapegoats of the Wayfarer Parties for Lively’s woes.”

He alleges that it was all “in a desperate effort to salvage Lively’s reputation and escape her wrath.”

Baldoni claimed Sloane and her PR firm “worked for months to drop breadcrumbs and hints of sinister allegations to the public while secretly feeding falsehoods to any reporter who would listen.”

Elsewhere in the filing, Baldoni dragged the New York Times reporter who wrote the article detailing Lively’s alleged sexual harassment and smear campaign complaint.

The actor has since filed a $250 million lawsuit against the publication, arguing that Lively gave them the information to tarnish his image.

“As a direct result of [their] actions, Baldoni claimed that he and those on his team have been ‘damaged beyond measure,'” the document read. “Their reputations are destroyed, their businesses lie in tatters, and their own film was taken from them.”

Meanwhile, a judge on Tuesday suggested he may dismiss the New York Times as a defendant in the case.

U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman in Manhattan said the publication’s February 28 motion to be excused from the case offered “substantial grounds for dismissal” and “a strong showing that its motion to dismiss is likely to succeed on the merits.”

Amid their legal battle with Baldoni, the “Gossip Girl” actress and her husband are seeking a protective order to keep their conversations with celebrities private.

At a hearing in Manhattan federal court on Thursday, attorney Meryl Conant Governski said that the couple wants a protective order put in place before they divulge conversations with “high profile” people about Lively’s time on “It Ends With Us,” as they fear Baldoni could leak them to the press.

The lawyer explained in court that such texts would have high “PR value” whether or not they’re relevant to the fact of the case.

“There is a significant chance of irreparable harm if marginal conversations with high-profile individuals with no relevance to the case were to fall into wrong hands,” Governski said, per the New York Post.

“There are 100 million reasons for these parties to leak information because the PR value is greater than complying with the court’s orders,” the attorney added.

Although no name was mentioned in their request to keep their conversations private, the Hollywood couple has close ties with A-list stars like Taylor Swift, Hugh Jackman, Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, and model Gigi Hadid.

Swift has seemingly been dragged into the case as Baldoni alleged that Lively called herself Khaleesi from “Game of Thrones” and referred to her husband and the “Blank Space” hitmaker as “my dragons.”

The global popstar would reportedly be subpoenaed to provide testimony, but legal experts think that her continued silence “speaks volumes.”

PR expert Adrienne Uthe spoke on the likelihood of Swift getting dragged into Baldoni and Lively’s legal feud.

“Taylor has publicly distanced herself from this – and I get why. She likely hopes to stay out of the mess entirely,” Uthe told Fox News. “But that’s not reality. Like it or not, people want to hear her testimony. She’s staying silent because nothing good comes from getting involved – and honestly, who would want to if they were in her position? But her silence also says a lot.”

“She appears aligned with Hollywood’s power players – and that tarnishes the ‘good girl’ image many of her fans have held onto,” Uthe added.

“People stay strategically quiet for many reasons, and sure, some stars just want to avoid the press – I respect that. But for someone as media-savvy as Taylor Swift to stay out of this? That speaks volumes. And frankly, we all want to hear her side,” the PR expert added.