Blake Lively And Justin Baldoni have filed competing lawsuits, escalating the bitter battle over their claims about what happened on the set of It ends with us.
On Tuesday, Lively filed a lawsuit in New York against her co-star and the film’s director, alleging sexual harassment on the set and a coordinated effort to “destroy” her reputation in Hollywood.
Meanwhile, Baldoni is suing the New York Times – the media outlet that first reported on Lively’s initial complaint late last month — for defamation, accusing journalists who reported the story of working with Lively to tarnish her reputation and claiming they glossed over important evidence.
The lawsuits constitute major developments in a emerging story of the surprise hit film that has already made waves in Hollywood and sparked discussions about the treatment of female actresses on sets and in the media.
Lively’s lawsuit claims that Baldoni, the film’s production company Wayfarer Studios and others implemented “a carefully designed, coordinated and resourced retaliatory plan to silence her and others from speaking out “.
Blake Lively attends the New York premiere of “It Ends With Us” at AMC Lincoln Square in New York on August 6, 2024.
Charly Triballeau / AFP via Getty Images
She accuses Baldoni and the studio of embarking on a “multi-layered plan” to damage her reputation following a meeting in which she and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, discussed the ” repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behavior” from Baldoni and a producer. Jamey Heath, who is also named in both lawsuits.
The plan, according to the suit, included a proposal to plant damaging theories on online chat rooms, organize a social media campaign and publish articles critical of Lively.
The alleged mistreatment on set included comments from Baldoni about the bodies of Lively and other women on set. And the lawsuit says Baldoni and Heath “discussed their personal sexual experiences and prior addiction to pornography, and attempted to pressure Ms. Lively into revealing details about her intimate life.”
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are seen on the set of “It Ends with Us” on January 12, 2024 in Jersey City, NJ
José Pérez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
She is seeking compensatory damages, of an unknown monetary amount, which includes “lost wages” and money for “mental pain and anguish.”
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Baldoni’s lawsuit, meanwhile, alleges that the New York Times “cherry-picked” the communications from documents provided to them and reported some of the assertions “lacking necessary context and deliberately grouped together to mislead.”
His lawsuit seeks a jury trial and damages of US$250 million ($360 million Canadian).
In a statement provided to several media outlets, The New York Times defended its report, saying it was “based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including text messages and emails that we quote precisely and at length in the article.
(L to R) Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds attend the “It Ends With Us” New York premiere at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on August 6, 2024 in New York City.
Cindy Ord/Getty Images
“We also released their (Baldoni and his team’s) full statement in response to the allegations in the article,” he continued, telling the Associated Press that he planned to “vigorously defend” against the lawsuit.
But Baldoni’s trial says that “If the Times had actually reviewed the thousands of private communications it claims to have obtained, its reporters would have seen compelling evidence that it was Lively, not the plaintiffs, who engaged in a calculated smear campaign.” »
Lively is not a defendant in the defamation suit. Her lawyers said in a statement that “nothing in this lawsuit changes anything about the allegations made in Ms. Lively’s complaint filed with the California Department of Civil Rights, nor her federal complaint filed earlier today.” »
It ends with usan adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel, was released in August 2024, beating box office expectations with a $50 million debut. But the release of the film was surrounded by speculation about infighting between the two tracks. Baldoni took a back seat in promoting the film while Lively took center stage alongside Reynolds, who was on the press circuit for Deadpool and Wolverine at the same time.
Baldoni – who starred in the telenovela Message Joan the Virgindirected Five feet apart and wrote Enough mana book that opposes traditional notions of masculinity — responded to concerns that the film romanticized domestic violence, telling the AP at the time that critics were “absolutely entitled to that opinion.”
“If anyone had this real-life experience, I can imagine how difficult it would be to imagine their experience in a romance novel,” he said. “I would just tell them that we were very intentional in making this film.”
Baldoni was dropped by his agency, WME, last month following Lively’s filing and the New York Times story.
Baldoni’s lawyer, Freedman, said in a statement regarding the defamation suit that “The New York Times cowering before desires and whims of two powerful “untouchable” Hollywood elites.
“In doing so, they predetermined the outcome of their story and aided and abetted their own devastating public relations campaign designed to revitalize Lively’s struggling public image and counter the organic wave of criticism among the online public,” he declared. The Associated Press. “The irony is rich.”
—with files from The Associated Press
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