Some excerpts from Judge Lewis Liman (S.D.N.Y.) long opinion today in Wayfarer Studios LLC v. Lively:
[Blake] Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department ("CRD") against [Justin] Baldoni and his co-defendants, the Wayfarer Parties, alleging, among other things, that Baldoni and others sexually harassed her on the set of the Film {It Ends With Us} and that the Wayfarer Parties retaliated against her for raising complaints about that harassment by launching a smear campaign to tarnish her reputation….
Lively then sued over that alleged behavior, and the Wayfarer Parties "counter-sued, asserting claims, including defamation, against Lively and others for making statements that the Wayfarer Parties" engaged in or tolerated "sexually inappropriate conduct" or retaliation. The Court rejected that counterclaim, on the grounds that
