Justin Baldoni’s lawyers have claimed Blake Lively was ‘threatening’
Justin Baldoni’s lawyers have responded to Blake Lively’s lawsuit, saying that her claims are ‘completely false’.
The Gossip Girl actor has filed a lawsuit against Baldoni after they took lead roles in the movie adaptation of the romance novel – It Ends With Us – earlier this year.
At the time, it had been reported that the on-set environment between the two was ‘hostile’.
Not only this, but Lively is accusing her co-star of sexual harassment and fuelling a revenge campaign to ‘destroy’ her reputation.
The mum-of-four is seeking damages, following a claim that Baldoni’s alleged behaviour was unacceptable.
The lawsuit alleges a meeting was held during production to address Lively’s claims and demands for working on It Ends With Us, with her husband Ryan Reynolds reportedly in attendance.
Allegedly, some of these demands addressed included: “No more showing nude videos or images of women to Blake, no more mention of Baldoni’s alleged previous ‘pornography addiction,’ no more discussions about sexual conquests in front of Blake and others, no further mentions of cast and crew’s genitalia, no more inquiries about Blake’s weight, and no further mention of Blake’s dead father.”
Documents were leaked from Baldoni’s crisis management team, who had devised a plan for if Lively published a ‘hit piece’ on the actor, following their time on set together.
The plans suggested that Baldoni’s team were throwing around the idea of encouraging journalists to scrutinize Lively’s past working relationships with several A-listers – including Leighton Meester, Anna Kendrick, Ben Affleck, and Taylor Swift.
Alleged text messages exchanged between publicist Jennifer Abel, who was hired by Baldoni as per the Daily Mail, as well as crisis management expert Melissa Nathan, have also been revealed as a result of a subpoena.
However, Bryan Freedman, a lawyer representing Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios, has said the allegations are ‘completely false, outrage and intentionally salacious’.
His lawyers have denied the claims (ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP via Getty Images)
As per Variety, he said the team ‘did nothing proactive nor retaliated’ against Lively and the PR team was hired ‘due to the multiple demands and threats made by Ms Lively during production’.
However, the lawsuit, obtained by People magazine, said: “Behind closed doors she has suffered from grief, fear, trauma, and extreme anxiety.
“The emotional impact on Ms. Lively has been extreme, not only affecting her, but her family, including her husband and four children.”
Colleen Hoover, the author who originally wrote It Ends With Us, has also spoken out in support of Lively.
She said: “@blakelively, you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met.
“Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt.”
Following news of the lawsuit becoming public knowledge, Lively told The New York Times: “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.”
Tyla previously contacted Sony Pictures, Baldoni and Lively’s reps for comment.
A legal complaint, which was obtained by The New York Times, filed by the Gossip Girl actor accuses Baldoni of sexual harassment and alleges he tried to launch a ‘social manipulation’ campaign against her.
Lively’s suit claims this smear campaign and his behaviour caused ‘severe emotional distress’.
It also claims a meeting was held during production for It Ends With Us to address her claims and alleged demands for working on the film – of which husband Ryan Reynolds was reportedly present.
According to Variety, the complaint states: “She claimed Mr Baldoni had improvised unwanted kissing and discussed his sex life, including encounters in which he said may not have received consent.
“[Producer Jamey] Heath had shown her a video of his wife naked, she said, and he had watched Ms. Lively in her trailer when she was topless and having body makeup removed, despite her asking him to look away.
“She said that both men repeatedly entered her makeup trailer uninvited while she was undressed, including when she was breastfeeding.”
.webp)
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni in It Ends With Us (Sony)
The suit says the alleged demands included: “No more showing nude videos or images of women to Blake, no more mention of Baldoni’s alleged previous ‘pornography addiction,’ no more discussions about sexual conquests in front of Blake and others, no further mentions of cast and crew’s genitalia, no more inquiries about Blake’s weight, and no further mention of Blake’s dead father.”
It’s also claimed that Lively demanded her co-star and director didn’t add any more ‘sex scenes, oral sex or on camera climaxing’ to the film outside of what was in the script she had approved initially.
As well as alleging these demands, the suit accuses Baldoni of aiming to ‘destroy’ Lively’s reputation.
Now, the Green Lantern star has shared a statement, telling The New York Times: “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.”
Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, told Variety that the suit is full of ‘categorically false accusations’.
Lively at the It Ends With Us premiere (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Freedman’s statement to Variety said: “It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives, as yet another desperate attempt to ‘fix’ her negative reputation which was garnered from her own remarks and actions during the campaign for the film; interviews and press activities that were observed publicly, in real time and unedited, which allowed for the internet to generate their own views and opinions.”
Calling the claims ‘completely false’, he added: “Wayfarer Studios made the decision to proactively hire a crisis manager prior to the marketing campaign of the film, to work alongside their own representative with Jonesworks employed by Stephanie Jones, due to the multiple demands and threats made by Ms. Lively during production which included her threatening to not showing up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release, if her demands were not met.
“It was also discovered that Ms. Lively enlisted her own representative, Leslie Sloan with Vision PR, who also represents Mr. Reynolds, to plant negative and completely fabricated and false stories with media, even prior to any marketing had commenced for the film, which was another reason why Wayfarer Studios made the decision to hire a crisis professional to commence internal scenario planning in the case they needed to address.”
Tyla has previously contacted Sony Pictures, Baldoni and Lively’s reps for comment.Featured Image Credit: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Sony Pictures/John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images
