Hollywood power couple Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are the target of a $400 million defamation lawsuit from Justin Baldoni, Lively's co-star in the dark romance film “It Ends with Us.” There is. It's the latest painful development in the legal battle involving the film.
The lawsuit filed by Baldoni, who is also the film's director, comes after Lively complained of sexual harassment after protesting her treatment on set, and also accused Baldoni of launching a retaliatory media campaign against her. It happened a few weeks after.
The war between the stars gained attention when fans noticed they were not following each other on social media while promoting the film.
Lively soon complained about Baldoni's behavior on set, accusing him of inappropriately discussing her sex life and of trying to add intimate scenes to the film that she hadn't consented to beforehand. It became clear that
Lively also said lead producer Jamie Heath saw her topless despite being asked to leave.
Lively then claims that Baldoni launched a PR campaign to smear her and distract from her complaints about the men's alleged conduct.
Mr. Baldoni also sued the New York Times after it published an article about a smear campaign that included emails and texts discussing the media protests.
Baldoni countered in newly filed court documents that Lively hijacked the production of “It Ends With Us,” that she defamed Lively and that she and Reynolds tried to blackmail him.
“Plaintiffs now have no choice but to fight back armed only with the truth and a mountain of concrete evidence disproving Mr. Lively's claims,” the lawsuit claims.
“It is heartbreaking that Baldoni set out many years ago to tell and celebrate the stories of victims of domestic violence, with the noble goal of making a positive impact on the world. The movie that was once a movie has now been overshadowed by Lively's actions and atrocities alone, making it unrecognizable.”
The film is based on a book by Colleen Huber and touches on issues of domestic violence and abuse.
In a separate statement, Mr. Baldoni's attorney, Brian Friedman, said, “Mr. Lively continues to exploit actual victims of actual harassment at the expense of those without power, just to advance her personal reputation. That will never be allowed again,” he added.
