December 28th 2024.
According to recent reports, actor and director Justin Baldoni is planning to take legal action against his former co-star, Blake Lively. This comes after Lively filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni earlier this month. The two had starred together in a film adaptation of the popular novel "It Ends With Us" by Colleen Hoover, which was released in August and received positive reviews.
Despite the film's success, it seems that tensions were high behind the scenes. Lively, who plays the lead in the movie, alleges that Baldoni engaged in inappropriate behavior on set. In a lengthy 80-page legal document, she accuses him of repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing actions. The uncomfortable atmosphere on set reportedly became so bad that a staff meeting had to be called in an attempt to address the issues and create a more positive working environment.
In addition to her accusations against Baldoni, Lively's complaint also claims that the studio behind the film, Wayfarer Studios, launched a deliberate campaign to harm her reputation. The complaint names Baldoni, his publicists, and Wayfarer Studios as defendants. However, Baldoni and his team have denied all of the allegations.
The Daily Mail has now reported that Baldoni, along with his business partner and Wayfarer Studios CEO Jamey Heath, and the publicists mentioned in Lively's complaint, are preparing to file a countersuit. Their attorney, Freedman, is expected to file the papers when the courts reopen on January 2nd. The countersuit will reportedly allege that Lively's public relations team at Vision PR were responsible for spreading false rumors and stories about Baldoni, and that Lively's lawsuit is simply an attempt to improve her public image.
In response to the Daily Mail's report, Vision PR boss Leslie Sloane has denied any involvement in the alleged smear campaign against Baldoni. She stated that she was simply contacted by various press outlets asking about HR complaints on set, and referred them to Wayfarer or Sony for any information on the matter.
Freedman, the attorney representing Baldoni, has not confirmed the claims of a countersuit. However, he did provide a statement to the publication, saying that when they do file their first lawsuit, it will shock those who have been manipulated into believing a false narrative. He also stated that the lawsuit will be supported by evidence and tell the true story, and that he has never seen such unethical behavior fueled by media manipulation in his 30 years of practicing law.
It's worth noting that despite starring together in "It Ends With Us," Baldoni and Lively did not do any press together for the film. In fact, there have been unearthed texts between Baldoni's publicist and the studio's publicist, obtained through a subpoena, that depict a desire to see Lively's career "buried."
During the film's promotion, Lively faced a huge backlash for her seemingly light-hearted approach to promoting a film that deals with heavy themes such as domestic violence. However, the conversation quickly turned to criticizing her as a person, rather than focusing on the film. In a statement released by her attorney, Lively expressed hope that her legal action will bring attention to the "sinister retaliatory tactics" used to harm those who speak out against misconduct.
Baldoni's lawyer, Freedman, has also provided a statement, saying that the claims made against his client are false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious. He believes that Lively's lawsuit is an attempt to rehash a narrative in the media and publicly hurt his client. Metro has reached out to representatives for both Lively and Baldoni for comment.
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