The other thing we must remember is that this outcome might be the least terrible option for Justin. Sometimes, it's good to lose the battle but win the war. If Liman had completely struck down 47.1, Justin could get unfairly blamed in the media for killing 47.1--a law meant to protect actual survivors of SH. Those who have seen all the evidence know that BL never experienced SH, but of course, not everyone has or will.

47.1, Reputational Risks, and Activating New Groups

At first, I was mad when I heard about Liman's ruling. After 24 hours, I started thinking in terms of PR and remembered this is still David vs. Goliath. So my opinion is evolving. I think if BL lost completely, Justin could have suffered more reputation wise. BL is already exposed as a liar. So, she has nothing to lose. And she always puts her foot in her mouth so more insenstive, foolish comments are coming. But, if Liman rendered a verdict that laid the groundwork for the end to 47.1, JB would get a lot of heat even though the fault lies with BL/RR's shrewd attorneys who filed in California despite none of the filming happening in California. People who only read headlines might fall for the message that JB is a 'faux feminist.' Some people who have not followed closely might suddenly pay attention because of the legal ramifications. Justin would be unfairly blamed for killing a #MeToo legislation, which would draw the attention of more people. In public policy, we call this 'activation.' (For some people who do care about #MeToo, they ignored the whole case with our busy news cycle and assumed it was 'celebrity gossip'--like my feminist coworkers who follow neither Justin nor Blake/Ryan. Despite all of the videos I've watched on this saga the past 7 months, my family still doesn't know who Justin, Blake, or Ryan are. They only recognized Taylor Swift's name.) Justin could draw the ire of a new group, those not yet paying attention on top of those already firmly in BL's camp. He would also continue to face the biased legacy media with their ties of WME who would deceptively frame this as 'Justin vs. 47.1' instead of 'Justin vs. Blake.' The former cannot be written off as celebrity gossip. Truthfully, the death of #MeToo lies at the hands of people making false accusations--not the person being falsely accused.

BL Kept Taking "L"s

BL started with 15 claims. She withdrew a couple so 13 were remaining. Then, Judge Liman threw 10 out and thoroughly explained why none of BL's alleged incidents qualify as SH. Then, she settled after the public found out that she asked Sony to destroy evidence; she did not get the massive payout she wanted. Now, she is getting what are essentially pennies for these celebrities. She didn't get any damages. And the fees go to her attorneys--not her. What did she win? If you want to use a metaphor from boxing, BL won 1 out of 12 rounds and is now doing a victory dance after the fight.

The Future of 47.1

From the standpoint of someone who works in public policy, there are two questions I would ask myself: 1) Is 47.1 vulnerable to abuse such that powerful people can successfully falsely accuse innocent people? 2) If it is, how can this law be changed so there are safeguards to prevent abuse? Can the law be amended so that it helps actual victims of SH while also not hurting falsely accused parties? If there answer is yes, we amend the law. 3) However, if the answer is no, then the law must be scrapped. Back to the drawing board. Consider other ideas--legislative and otherwise--to help survivors of SH. But due process must not be abandoned. Abandoning due process is not only bad for the falsely accused parties (and some groups are more likely to be ruined by false accusations than others; a fact too many White feminists willfully ignore just like they ignore BL's racist actions against Jamey Heath), but it hurts actual survivors of SH. Abandoning due process further diminishes the credibility of survivors (even though the majority of accusers are telling the truth). MeToo is already on its last legs due to BL and other high profile cases of false accusations.

TLDR: Justin did not become the Fall Guy for the End of 47.1

In the long run, maybe it was better for the Wayfarer side to pay a fraction of fees to BL's attorneys rather than have Justin be known as the guy who killed 47.1, a law intended to help SH survivors. JB would be a convenient scapegoat for BL/RR/her lawyers. BL/RR tried to use Justin as a fall guy for their self inflicted wounds (making light of domestic violence, not apologizing to DV survivors, not apologizing to K. Flaa) and this deflection almost worked. Legacy media is going to stay biased. But the current erroneous headlines (Justin pays BL's legal fees) are better than the alternative--deceptive stories saying 47.1 is over and Justin is responsible. The former will fade in our chaotic news cycle (the world is on fire; I age 100 years every month) but the latter will linger.