Ryan Reynolds files motion to dismiss Justin Baldoni’s $400 Million lawsuit; doesn't deny inspiration behind Nicepool in 'Deadpool and Wolverine'

Ryan Reynolds has formally filed a motion to dismiss the $400 million lawsuit filed against him by 'It Ends With Us' actor and filmmaker Justin Baldoni.
Reynolds, who is married to Blake Lively, has been accused in the lawsuit of ridiculing and targeting Baldoni by creating the character Nicepool in Deadpool & Wolverine, allegedly as a satire of the director's “woke feminist” persona.
In response, Baldoni countersued Reynolds and Lively, claiming they were attempting to sabotage his career with false accusations. He alleged that Reynolds had reprimanded him for supposedly “fat shaming” Lively and accused him of labelling him a “sexual predator” while also pressuring his agency, WME, to sever ties with him.
In their motion to dismiss the suit, Reynolds’ legal team argues that the defamation claim is unfounded, asserting that a statement cannot be considered defamatory if Reynolds genuinely believes it to be true.
According to reports on Varitey, Reynolds' legal team, represented by attorneys Mike Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, issued a statement outlining their position in the ongoing case. In a statement, they asserted "The entirety of Mr. Baldoni’s case appears to be based on Mr. Reynolds allegedly privately calling Mr. Baldoni a ‘predator,’ but here is the problem, that is not defamation unless they can show that Mr. Reynolds did not believe that statement to be true. The complaint doesn’t allege that, and just the opposite, the allegations in the complaint suggest that Mr. Reynolds genuinely believes Mr. Baldoni is a predator. Mr. Reynolds’ wife has accused Mr. Baldoni — privately and in multiple complaints — of sexual harassment and retaliation, and as pointed out by Mr. Reynolds’ motion, Mr. Baldoni has also openly spoken about his past of mistreating women and pushing the boundaries of consent."
They added, "Mr. Reynolds has a First Amendment right to express his opinion of Mr. Baldoni, which should be comforting to a group of people who have repeatedly called Ms. Lively and Mr. Reynolds ‘bullies’ and other names over the past year."
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Ryan said in a report to TMZ, "The claims filed against Mr. Reynolds are simply a list of grievances attempting to shame Mr. Reynolds for being the man Mr. Baldoni has built his brand pretending to be, a man who is 'confident enough to listen' to the woman in his life."
The spokesperson further expressed confidence that the case would be dismissed and indicated intentions to seek reimbursement for legal costs. The statement read, "We look forward to this lawsuit being dismissed, and to collecting on Steve Sarowitz‘s $100 million pledge by recovering Mr. Reynolds’ costs and attorneys’ fees incurred to toss this frivolous case."
In the legal filing, Reynolds’ team argued that the lawsuit lacks specific allegations to substantiate claims of defamation, stating, "They allege an outrageous $400 million in damages without explaining which plaintiffs have any actual loss, or accounting for the millions of dollars that Wayfarer and its billionaire chairman, Mr. Sarowitz, made in profits off of this Film they claim was ruined."
Meanwhile, as previously reported by Variety, Freedman had asked Marvel president Kevin Feige and Disney CEO Bob Iger to preserve any documents "relating to or reflecting a deliberate attempt to mock, harass, ridicule, intimidate, or bully Baldoni through the character of 'Nicepool'."
Freedman suggested in his appearance on The Megyn Kelly Show that Nicepool being used as comedic fodder casts doubt on the validity of claims in Lively’s lawsuit against Baldoni. “If somebody is seriously sexually harassed, you don’t make fun of it,” the lawyer said. “It’s a serious issue,” he added.
In January, Baldoni filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively and Reynolds, claiming they took control of It Ends With Us and led a smear campaign against him. He accused the couple of defamation, civil extortion, and breach of contract.