The legal war between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively is heating up, with Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman, accusing Lively of manipulating the legal process to her advantage.

Freedman fired back at the actress in a scathing statement after she moved to toss Baldoni's countersuit. In a statement to TMZ, he said, "This is one of the most abhorrent examples of abusing our legal system."

The 37-year-old Lively previously filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni, 41, in December. In January, the "Jane the Virgin" actor launched his response in the form of a mouth-dropping $400 million countersuit against Lively, as well as her husband Ryan Reynolds and publicist Leslie Sloane — for defamation and extortion.

Freedman accused the "Gossip Girl" actress of distorting legal protections for her benefit. He explained that "Laws exist to protect the innocent and allow people to defend themselves," he argued. "They are not meant to be bent by Hollywood elites to serve their personal agenda."

Lively's attorney, meanwhile, has called Baldoni's allegations "frivolous," claiming his countersuit is an example of blatant retaliatory litigation.

According to Lively's lawyers, Mike Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, Baldoni's litigation is an abuse of the system. Pointing to new protections to prevent accusers from being sued for defamation, they said, "California law now expressly prohibits suing victims who choose to speak out against sexual harassment or retaliation."

They cautioned that Baldoni's aggressive legal strategy could be counterproductive. Her attorneys argued, referring to Baldoni's production company, Wayfarer Studios, that "The Wayfarer Parties' attempt to sue Ms. Lively 'into oblivion' has only created more liability for them," per Us Weekly.

This case matters not just for the stars themselves but for all individuals going through their battles, a spokesperson for Lively told BuzzFeed News. They stated, "Ms. Lively is not the only person being sued for defamation after speaking out about sexual harassment at work," they noted.

The Hollywood Fallout

The battle has extended beyond the courtroom. Baldoni's team recently called out Reynolds for referencing the scandal in an SNL50 sketch earlier this month, which sparked backlash online for being "tone-deaf."

Lively, through her team, is trying to keep certain documents from being unsealed by saying there have been violent threats against her and others related to this case. The authorities have contended that making sensitive information public could jeopardize witnesses and exacerbate harassment.

Despite the off-camera turbulence, "It Ends with Us" became a blockbuster, grossing $148M in the US and $350M globally. However, insiders say tensions on set ultimately led studio heads to intervene, with The Hollywood Reporter adding that Sony had to step in to mediate the escalating battle.

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Blake Lively