Actor and director Justin Baldoni has filed a lawsuit seeking $400 million in damages against Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, in response to Lively’s legal complaint filed in December.
Lively had accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and allegedly campaigning to “destroy” her reputation during the production of It Ends With Us.
Baldoni’s legal team has responded with claims of civil extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy, arguing that Lively and her associates attempted to “destroy” him through a series of “grossly edited, unsubstantiated, new and doctored information” spread to the media.
Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, accused Lively and her team of attempting to “bulldoze reputations and livelihoods for heinously selfish reasons.”
The dispute began during the production of It Ends With Us, a film adapted from Colleen Hoover’s novel about domestic abuse.
Despite the film’s box office success, grossing over $350 million worldwide, tensions between Baldoni and Lively were apparent during the press tour.
The two co-stars were not seen together at key events, including the premiere in New York, and Baldoni skipped the London premiere altogether.
In December, Lively filed a legal complaint against Baldoni, accusing him and the head of his production company, Wayfarer, of sexual harassment, creating a “hostile work environment,” and deliberately sabotaging her reputation online.
Baldoni’s team rejected these allegations as “categorically false” and claimed that Lively had threatened to derail the film unless her demands were met.
In his 179-page complaint, Baldoni insists he is not at fault and asserts that the case is not about celebrity feuds.
“When plaintiffs have their day in court, the jury will recognize that even the most powerful celebrity cannot bend the truth to her will,” the complaint stated.
Lively’s legal team has countered, describing Baldoni’s lawsuit as “another chapter in the abuser playbook.”
They claim that Lively’s allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation are backed by “concrete evidence” and that Baldoni is attempting to shift the narrative by falsely accusing her of taking creative control and alienating the cast.
The statement concluded, “The strategy of attacking the woman is desperate, it does not refute the evidence in Ms Lively’s complaint, and it will fail.”
The legal battle between Baldoni and Lively continues to unfold, with both sides preparing for a court showdown.
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