Justin Baldoni is reportedly set to produce a counterclaim against Blake Lively that his lawyer says will “shock everyone”.
Lively sued her It Ends With Us co-star and director on December 20, accusing him of sexual harassment and conducting a PR smear campaign against her. She claims Baldoni exhibited behaviour on the set of the romantic drama that caused her “severe emotional distress”.
Baldoni denied all of the allegations, and now his lawyer Bryan Freedman has told Deadline that they are preparing to file a number of counter suits. “When we file our first lawsuit, it is going to shock everyone who has been manipulated into believing a demonstrably false narrative,” he said.
“It will be supported by real evidence and tell the true story,” he added. “In over 30 years of practicing, I have never seen this level of unethical behavior intentionally fueled through media manipulation.”
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni on the set of ‘It Ends with Us’ on January 12, 2024 in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
Lively’s original suit states that a meeting was held between the two parties and their lawyers during the making of It Ends With Us, as well as Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds, to address the problems.
It is said that the meeting included a number of demands made by Lively, including “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 added that she demanded “no more adding of sex scenes, oral sex or on camera climaxing by BL outside the scope of the script BL approved when signing onto the project”, as reported by TMZ.
Lively said in a statement to 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.”
Freeman then told TMZ that he believed the suit had been filed to “fix” Lively’s “negative reputation”, describing her allegations as “false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt”.
The lawyer added that Lively “threatened to not [show] up to set, threatened to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release”.
On December 22, it was reported that Baldoni had been dropped by his talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME) – which also represents Lively. As per Variety, the agency felt that action was required immediately due to Lively’s serious allegations.
Baldoni has also had a women’s solidarity award rescinded over the claims.
Meanwhile, Lively’s The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants co-stars have publicly defended her, while Amber Heard has also voiced support for Lively after it was noted that Baldoni has hired the same crisis PR team as Johnny Depp.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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