“I’ve never witnessed such unethical behavior, fueled by those who abuse their power and manipulate the truth,” Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman tells PEOPLE

Justin Baldoni; Blake Lively. Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty; Raymond Hall/GC Images

Justin Baldoni’s lawyer says that the actor’s impending lawsuit against Blake Lively will not only bring forth the “truth” — but also expose “those who believe themselves untouchable.”

“This is not a response or countersuit — it’s a deliberate pursuit of truth,” attorney Bryan Freedman exclusively tells PEOPLE of Baldoni’s forthcoming lawsuit, which follows Lively’s explosive complaint accusing Baldoni, 40, of sexual harassment on the set of It Ends with Us and a subsequent retaliatory smear campaign.

Freedman, a veteran Hollywood lawyer, also says that Baldoni’s filing will “expose” falsities in Lively’s complaint — specifically a series of private text messages that allegedly show Baldoni texting and emailing with PR executive Jennifer Abel and crisis management expert Melissa Nathan as they planned what Lively, 37, alleges was a smear campaign orchestrated to “destroy” her reputation.

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“This lawsuit will uncover and expose the false and destructive narrative that was intentionally engineered by a trusted media publication who relied upon nefarious sources and neglected a thorough fact checking process to confirm the validity of these texts,” Freedman tells PEOPLE.

“There is an insurmountable collection of authentic evidence, including timelines and communications, which have not been doctored or spliced without context, unlike the altered [New York Times] story that ran on Saturday, December 21st 2024,” he continues in the written statement.

The article Freedman is referring to — titled “ ‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine” — broke the news of Lively’s complaint the day after she filed it in California.

Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively on the ‘It Ends with Us’ set. Jose Perez / SplashNews.com

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“In over three decades of legal practice, I’ve never witnessed such unethical behavior, fueled by those who abuse their power and manipulate the truth,” Freedman adds. “This isn’t an isolated case; it’s a recurring pattern in Hollywood and the mainstream media where careers and reputations are destroyed to maintain control.”

“Legacy media has long weaponized their platforms to distort the truth, exploit vulnerabilities, and destroy lives without accountability,” the attorney continues. “These lawsuits will confront this system head-on, ensuring that no individual or entity, no matter how influential, can continue perpetuating this cycle of fear and destruction.”

“The truth will not only come to light — it will dismantle the illusions propped up by those who believe themselves untouchable,” Freedman concludes.

A representative for Lively did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Sunday, Dec. 29.

Blake Lively; Justin Baldoni. Lia Toby/Getty; John Nacion/Variety via Getty 

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The attorney’s latest statement comes shortly after the Daily Mail‘s Dec. 27 report that as soon as the courts reopen in the new year, Baldoni plans to file a countersuit against Lively. Freedman told the British outlet that the forthcoming filling will “shock everyone.”

The Daily Mail also reported that Baldoni’s impending filing will contain specific claims about Lively’s PR team, led by her publicist Leslie Sloane, including the allegation that Sloane planted stories to paint the actor-director in a bad light and led a smear campaign against him — not the other way around, as Lively’s complaint alleges.

Sloane denied these claims, calling them “false” in a statement to PEOPLE on Dec. 28. She says she did not originate any stories about allegations of HR complaints on the set of the adaptation of the Colleen Hoover novel, and that she was informed that the press had learned of them through a relative of a member of Baldoni’s PR team, who works for the New York Post.

“It’s clear that Mr. Baldoni and his Wayfarer Associates are suggesting that I originated press stories about HR complaints on set, which is false,” the publicist said, before urging people to read both Lively’s complaint and the complaint filed by Jonesworks LLC and Stephanie Jones (the latter who formerly employed Baldoni’s publicist), “which provides the details of the campaign against my client.”

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Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively on the set of ‘It Ends with Us’. Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

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Lively first sued Baldoni on Dec. 20, claiming in an 80-page complaint that after she reported sexual harassment on the set of It Ends with Us, Baldoni (who starred in, produced and directed the movie) retaliated against her by orchestrating a smear campaign intended to tarnish her image.

In the complaint — which comes months after rumors of a feud between the costars swirled — the actress also outlines dozens of allegations against Baldoni, as well as members of the film’s production team and the individuals said to be involved in the alleged smear campaign against her.

Among Lively’s allegations: Baldoni — a married father of two who has positioned himself as an ally to women and domestic abuse survivors in numerous interviews — walked into her makeup trailer uninvited while she was breast-feeding; talked about a previous pornography addiction; alluded to past non-consensual sexual encounters and asked Lively to divulge details of her own “intimate life.”

Lively claims he “suddenly” pressured her to “simulate full nudity” in a birth scene, “bit and sucked on” her lower lip in a scene in which he “improvised numerous kisses;” and “routinely degraded Ms. Lively by finding back channel ways of criticizing her body and weight,” including one instance when he allegedly cried to Lively in her trailer “claiming social media commentators were saying that Ms. Lively looked old and unattractive based on paparazzi photos from the set.” 

In a statement given to The New York Times for its Dec. 21 report, Lively said, “I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted.”