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Blake Lively Slams Justin Baldoni's "Desperate" Lawsuit Against Her
A caller video from the It Ends With Us acceptable is shedding airy connected what happened betwixt Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.
Amid the costars' heated ineligible conflict implicit their alleged behavior during the making of the Colleen Hoover adaptation, behind-the-scenes footage provided to E! News by Baldoni's ineligible counsel Bryan Freedman showed the costars interacting portion filming a dilatory creation for a soundless montage successful the movie.
Both Lively, 37, and Baldoni, 40, appeared to beryllium speaking retired of their respective characters, Lily and Ryle, portion pitching each different ideas arsenic they danced.
"I deliberation it's much romanticist if we're dancing and talking," Lively told Baldoni, "'cause it's similar the infinitesimal you kiss, past you springiness them the happening that they wanna see."
Lively went connected to enactment that she and real-life hubby Ryan Reynolds “don’t unopen up” whenever they’re unneurotic and often marvel implicit however "there's not capable clip successful the time to talk.”
"I deliberation that's cute,” Baldoni told her. “You guys are truly cute.”
Lively quipped, "I deliberation it's much than cute."
In different instrumentality of a peculiarly intimate moment, Lively quipped arsenic Baldoni got adjacent to her neck, “I’m astir apt getting spray tan connected you.”
The Jane the Virgin histrion replied with a laugh, “It smells good.”
The filming of the country was mentioned successful Lively's suit against Baldoni. In the complaint, obtained by E! News, the Gossip Girl alum alleged that Baldoni "leaned guardant and dilatory dragged his lips from her receptor and down her cervix arsenic helium said, 'it smells truthful good.'"
"None of this was remotely successful character," Lively's filing read. "When Ms. Lively aboriginal objected to this behavior, Ms. Baldoni’s effect was, 'I'm not adjacent attracted to you.'"
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic; James Devaney/GC Images
In his countersuit against Lively, besides obtained by E! News, Baldoni denied Lively’s intersexual harassment accusation. Instead, helium alleged that Lively was "consistently incapable to instrumentality direction" during the filming of the dilatory creation scene.
"Lively continued arguing and tried to nonstop him for the country portion they were expected to beryllium successful quality filming the scene," his ailment read. "Any proposition that this country was filmed successful immoderate mode different than axenic professionalism by Baldoni is unequivocally countered with existent evidence.”
Baldoni’s suit besides alleged that Lively “joked that helium should get integrative surgery” for his chemoreceptor and that she called him and his wife Emily Baldoni “sociopaths” erstwhile helium told her that they often stared silently into each other’s eyes.
Sony Pictures
The behind-the-scenes video of the dilatory creation country showed Lively and Baldoni having the aforesaid discussions.
"We've done it for 5 minutes," Baldoni joked astir looking successful each other's eyes. "I deliberation you would find it terrifying."
Lively replied with a laugh, "I'd beryllium like, 'Oh no, I recovered a sociopath.'"
And erstwhile Lively and Baldoni touched foreheads during their dance, the histrion chuckled and quipped, “It’s like, conscionable noses.”
“I know,” Baldoni replied with a laugh, “and my chemoreceptor is truthful big.”
Lively jokingly added, “Yes, I was hoping that we could code this. It’s not excessively late. Just gotta unopen down. Gotta telephone an security period and conscionable woody with that. Just kidding.”
Sony Pictures
For her part, Lively has slammed Baldoni’s countersuit, with her ineligible squad saying that the earthy footage “corroborates, to the letter, what Ms. Lively described.”
“Justin Baldoni and his lawyer whitethorn anticipation that this latest stunt volition get up of the damaging grounds against him, but the video itself is damning,” her attorneys told TMZ Jan. 21. “The video shows Mr. Baldoni repeatedly leaning successful toward Ms. Lively, attempting to buss her, kissing her forehead, rubbing his look and rima against her neck, flicking her articulator with his thumb, caressing her, telling her however bully she smells, and talking with her retired of character.”
Saying that determination was “no intimacy coordinator present” during the shoot, Lively’s lawyers added, “The video shows Ms. Lively leaning distant and repeatedly asking for the characters to conscionable talk. Any pistillate who has been inappropriately touched successful the workplace volition admit Ms. Lively’s discomfort. They volition admit her attempts astatine levity to effort to deflect the unwanted touching. No pistillate should person to instrumentality antiaircraft measures to debar being touched by their leader without their consent.”
For a implicit timeline of Lively and Baldoni's ineligible battle, support reading.
Lisa/Shutterstock; AFF-USA/Shutterstock
Dec. 20, 2024: Blake Lively Files CRD Complaint Against Justin Baldoni and His Wayfarer Associates
Four months aft the movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover's publication It Ends With Us debuted successful theaters, Blake Lively filed a California Civil Rights Department (CRD) complaint against her costar Justin Baldoni and his associates connected Dec. 20, according to The New York Times.
In the ailment obtained by E! News, Baldoni, his accumulation institution Wayfarer Studios (Wayfarer), its CEO Jamey Heath, its cofounder Steve Sarowitz, Baldoni's publicist Jennifer Abel, her institution RWA Communications, situation communications specializer Melissa Nathan, her institution The Agency Group PR LLC (TAG), contractor Jed Wallace and his institution Street Relations Inc. were listed arsenic defendants.
Lively alleged successful her ailment that Baldoni and his Wayfarer associates "embarked connected a blase property and integer program successful retaliation" for her voicing her concerns astir purported misconduct connected set—with her saying she and different formed and unit members "experienced invasive, unwelcome, unprofessional and sexually inappropriate behavior" by Baldoni and Heath.
The histrion added the alleged run against her caused "substantial harm" to her personally and professionally.
The accusations listed successful the ailment see intersexual harassment; retaliation; nonaccomplishment to investigate, forestall and/or remedy harassment; aiding and abetting harassment and retaliation; breach of contract; intentional infliction of affectional distress; negligence; mendacious airy penetration of privateness and interference with prospective economical advantage.
Gary Hershorn/Getty Images
Dec. 21, 2024: The New York Times Publishes Report About the Alleged Smear Campaign Against Lively
The adjacent day, The New York Times published a report astir a retaliatory smear run Baldoni and his associates allegedly waged against Lively—citing her CRD complaint. In its article, the outlet quoted messages sent from Baldoni and his team—including publicist Abel and situation communications specializer Nathan—that were portion of her complaint. Readers could besides scroll done the court documents connected The New York Times' website.
“I anticipation that my ineligible enactment helps propulsion backmost the curtain connected these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm radical who talk up astir misconduct," Lively told the outlet, "and helps support others who whitethorn beryllium targeted.”
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images/Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Sony Pictures
Baldoni and Wayfarer’s Attorney Responds to Lively’s CRD Complaint
After quality of Lively’s ailment broke, Bryan Freedman—the lawyer for Baldoni, Wayfarer and its representatives—slammed Lively’s allegations.
“It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would marque specified superior and categorically mendacious accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives, arsenic yet different hopeless effort to ‘fix’ her antagonistic estimation which was garnered from her ain remarks and actions during the run for the film; interviews and property activities that were observed publicly, successful existent clip and unedited, which allowed for the net to make their ain views and opinions,” helium said successful a statement connected The New York Times website. “These claims are wholly false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publically wounded and rehash a communicative successful the media.”
Freedman besides defended Wayfarer’s determination to prosecute a situation manager, saying this was done earlier the selling run of the movie.
"The representatives of Wayfarer Studios inactive did thing proactive nor retaliated, and lone responded to incoming media inquiries to guarantee balanced and factual reporting and monitored societal activity,” helium aboriginal added. “What is pointedly missing from the cherry-picked correspondence is the grounds that determination were nary proactive measures taken with media oregon otherwise; conscionable interior script readying and backstage correspondence to strategize which is modular operating process with nationalist relations professionals.”
Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images
Baldoni Is Dropped by Talent Agency
Talent bureau William Morris Endeavor (WME) dropped Baldoni aft The New York Times’ nonfiction was published connected Dec. 21, Ari Emanuel, CEO of the agency’s genitor institution Endeavor, confirmed to the outlet.
However, WME denied that Lively's hubby Ryan Reynolds was to blasted for the agency's parting of ways with Baldoni, which the It Ends With Us manager aboriginal allege successful his suit filed against The New York Times (more connected that below).
"In Baldoni’s filing determination is simply a assertion that Reynolds pressured Baldoni’s cause astatine the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere. This is not true,” WME—which besides represents Reynolds and Lively—said successful a connection to The Hollywood Reporter Jan. 1. "Baldoni’s erstwhile typical was not astatine the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere nor was determination immoderate unit from Reynolds oregon Lively astatine immoderate clip to driblet Baldoni arsenic a client."
John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images
It Ends With Us Cast Members and More Stars React to Lively’s Allegations Against Baldoni
In the days pursuing Lively's CRD filing and The New York Times article, several celebrated figures shared their reactions to her allegations against Baldoni—including It Ends With Us writer Hoover.
"@blakelively, you person been thing but honest, kind, supportive and diligent since the time we met," she wrote connected Instagram Stories Dec. 21, linking retired to The New York Times. "Thank you for being precisely the quality that you are. Never change. Never wilt."
Jenny Slate, who played the sister of Baldoni's quality Ryle, besides noted she stood with Lively.
“As Blake Lively’s castmate and friend, I dependable my enactment arsenic she takes enactment against those reported to person planned and carried retired an onslaught connected her reputation,” Slate said successful a Dec. 23 connection to Today. “Blake is simply a leader, loyal person and a trusted root of affectional enactment for maine and truthful galore who cognize and emotion her.”
“What has been revealed astir the onslaught connected Blake is terribly dark, disturbing, and wholly threatening," she added. "I commend my friend, I respect her bravery, and I basal by her side.”
In addition, Brandon Sklenar—a emotion involvement for Lively's quality Lily Bloom—shared a screenshot of the ailment published to The New York Times' website and linked retired to the outlet writing, "For the emotion of God work this."
Plus, Lively's Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants costars America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel and Amber Tamblyn wrote they "stand with her successful solidarity."
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for The Ford Foundation
Dec. 23, 2024: Baldoni and Heath's cohost connected The Man Enough Podcast Liz Plank Leaves Show
Liz Plank besides announced her departure from The Man Enough Podcast, which she cohosted with Baldoni and Heath, connected Dec. 23.
"I'm penning to you contiguous to fto you cognize that I person had my representatives pass Wayfarer that I volition nary longer beryllium co-hosting The Man Enough podcast," she wrote connected Instagram astatine the time. "Thank you for trusting maine with your hearts and stories, for holding abstraction for mine, and for making this amusement what it was. I volition miss you, the listeners, truthful much. I emotion what this assemblage created unneurotic with each fibre of my being, and that's due to the fact that of you."
While Plank did not springiness a crushed for her exit from the podcast, it came days aft Lively's ailment against Baldoni and his Wayfarer associates.
"As this section closed for me, I stay committed to the values we've built together," the writer continued successful her connection to her followers. "Thank you for being here, for trusting me, and for being by my broadside for the past 4 years. We each merit better, and I cognize that together, we tin make it."
She added, "I volition person much to stock soon arsenic I proceed to process everything that has happened. In the meantime, I volition proceed to enactment everyone who calls retired injustice and holds the radical lasting successful their mode accountable."
Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images
Dec. 24, 2024: Baldoni's Former Publicist Sues Him, Abel, Nathan and Wayfarer
Baldoni's erstwhile publicist Stephanie Jones and her bureau Jonesworks LLC filed a lawsuit against him, his institution Wayfarer, his existent publicist Abel and situation communications specializer Nathan successful New York Dec. 24.
"Defendants Abel and Nathan secretly conspired for months to publically and privately onslaught Jones and Jonesworks, to breach aggregate contracts and induce contractual breaches, and to bargain clients and concern prospects," the suit obtained by NBC New reads. "Behind Jones’s back, they secretly coordinated with Baldoni and Wayfarer to instrumentality an assertive media smear run against Baldoni’s movie co-star, and past utilized the situation arsenic an accidental to thrust a wedge betwixt Jones and Baldoni, and to publically pin blasted for this smear run connected Jones—when Jones had nary cognition oregon engagement successful it."
Per Abel's LinkedIn profile, she worked astatine Jonesworks until past summer. The suit alleges Abel and Nathan "continue to constituent the digit falsely astatine Jones present that their ain misconduct is coming to light," and "defame and attack" her successful the industry.
As for Baldoni and Wayfarer, who are nary longer Jonesworks clients, the suit alleges they "repudiated their contractual obligations with Jonesworks and rebuffed Jones’s efforts to settee this quality privately successful arbitration."
E! News reached retired to the defendants for comment.
Gotham/GC Images
Lively's attorneys told Variety successful a Dec. 23 portion that they obtained the texts featured successful The New York Times article via a subpoena to Jonesworks. Freedman—who represents Nathan and Abel successful summation to Baldoni and his Wayfarer associates—added to the outlet nary of his clients were subpoenaed implicit this taxable and that helium intends to writer Jones for releasing messages from Abel’s telephone to Lively’s attorneys.
Araya Doheny/Variety via Getty Images
Dec. 31, 2024: Baldoni, Wayfarer & Others Sue The New York Times
Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, Nathan, TAG, Abel, RWA Communications, Wallace and Street Relations filed a lawsuit against The New York Times Dec. 31.
In the suit obtained by E! News, The New York Times is accused of libel, mendacious airy penetration of privacy, promissory fraud and breach of implied-in-fact declaration for its nonfiction astir a retaliatory smear run the plaintiffs allegedly conducted against Lively aft she voiced concerns astir purported misconduct on set.
Saying the study was "false" and based connected Lively’s CRD complaint, the plaintiffs denied the accusations and alleged messages cited successful the article and ailment were taken retired of context.
“Despite its assertion to person 'reviewed these on with different documents[,]' the Times relied astir wholly connected Lively’s unverified and self-serving narrative," the suit says, "lifting it astir verbatim portion disregarding an abundance of grounds that contradicted her claims and exposed her existent motives."
They besides allege "it was Lively, not Plaintiffs, who engaged successful a calculated smear campaign." She has denied this.
The New York Times said it plans to "vigorously support against the lawsuit."
“The relation of an autarkic quality enactment is to travel the facts wherever they lead,” it stated to E!. “Our communicative was meticulously and responsibly reported. It was based connected a reappraisal of thousands of pages of archetypal documents, including the substance messages and emails that we punctuation accurately and astatine magnitude successful the article."
Lia Toby/Getty Images
Dec. 31, 2024: Lively Files Lawsuit Against Baldoni and Wayfarer Associates
That aforesaid day, Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, accumulation entity It Ends With Us Movie LLC, Nathan, Nathan's institution TAG and Abel successful New York.
According to the tribunal documents obtained by E! News, she is suing the defendants for intersexual harassment; retaliation; nonaccomplishment to investigate, forestall and/or remedy harassment; aiding and abetting harassment and retaliation; breach of contract, intentional infliction of affectional distress, negligence infliction of affectional distress and mendacious airy penetration of privacy.
The allegations successful the suit were archetypal elaborate successful the CRD ailment Lively filed earlier that month.
In effect to the suit Baldoni and his associates filed against The New York Times—which does not database Lively arsenic a defendant—her attorneys noted successful a connection to E! that "nothing successful this suit changes thing astir the claims" successful her CRD and national complaints.
"This suit is based connected the evidently mendacious premise that Ms. Lively’s administrative ailment against Wayfarer and others was a ruse based connected a prime 'not to record a suit against Baldoni, Wayfarer,' and that 'litigation was ne'er her eventual goal,'" they continued. "As demonstrated by the national ailment filed by Ms. Lively earlier today, that framework of notation for the Wayfarer suit is false."
Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Jan. 2, 2025: Baldoni's Lawyer Expresses Intent to Sue Lively
In Baldoni and his associates' suit against The New York Times, the plaintiffs expressed that they “are not done.”
"There are different atrocious actors involved," the tribunal documents state, "and marque nary mistake—this volition not beryllium the past lawsuit."
In a Jan. 2 interrogation with NBC News, Baldoni and Wayfarer's lawyer Freedman said they "absolutely" program to writer Lively.
Araya Doheny/Variety via Getty Images and Gotham/GC Images
The headlines astir Baldoni and Lively haven't stopped there.
For instance, social media users person speculated that her hubby Reynolds trolled Baldoni successful his movie Deadpool & Wolverine done the quality Nicepool.
Reynolds has not publically commented connected the rumors; however, Baldoni's lawyer Freedman shared his reaction.
"What I marque of that is that if your woman is sexually harassed, you don't marque amusive of Justin Baldoni," Freeman said during an interrogation connected The Megyn Kelly Show posted to YouTube Jan 7. "You don't marque amusive of the situation. You instrumentality it precise seriously. You record HR complaints. You rise the contented and you travel a ineligible process. What you don't bash is mock the idiosyncratic and crook it into a joke."
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
Meanwhile, Lively's attorneys accidental determination person been much "attacks" against her since her lawsuit.
"Ms. Lively’s national litigation earlier the Southern District of New York involves superior claims of intersexual harassment and retaliation, backed by factual facts," her lawyers said successful a Jan. 7 connection to E! News. "This is not a 'feud' arising from 'creative differences' oregon a 'he said/she said' situation. As alleged successful Ms. Lively’s complaint, and arsenic we volition beryllium successful litigation, Wayfarer and its associates engaged successful unlawful, retaliatory astroturfing against Ms. Lively for simply trying to support herself and others connected a movie set. And their effect to the suit has been to motorboat more attacks against Ms. Lively since her filing."
"While we spell done the ineligible process, we impulse everyone to retrieve that intersexual harassment and retaliation are amerciable successful each workplace and successful each industry," they added. "A classical maneuver to distract from allegations of this benignant of misconduct is to 'blame the victim' by suggesting that they invited the conduct, brought it connected themselves, misunderstood the intentions, oregon adjacent lied. Another classical maneuver is to reverse the unfortunate and offender, and suggest that the offender is really the victim."
Lively's lawyers said "these concepts normalize and trivialize allegations of superior misconduct." They besides noted "media statements are not a defense" to her claims and that they'll prosecute her claims successful court.
John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images
In response, Baldoni's lawyer Freedman told E!, "It is painfully ironic that Blake Lively is accusing Justin Baldoni of weaponizing the media erstwhile her ain squad orchestrated this vicious onslaught by sending the New York Times grossly edited documents anterior to adjacent filing the complaint."
"We are releasing each of the grounds which volition amusement a signifier of bullying and threats to instrumentality implicit the movie," helium added. "None of this volition travel arsenic a astonishment due to the fact that accordant with her past behaviour Blake Lively utilized different radical to pass those threats and bully her mode to get immoderate she wanted. We person each the receipts and more."
(E! and NBC News are some portion of the NBCUniversal family).
Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin / GC Images / Robert Kamau / GC Images
Jan. 16, 2025: Baldoni, Wayfarer, Nathan & Abel File Lawsuit Against Lively, Reynolds & Others
Baldoni, Heath, Wayfarer, publicist Abel, situation connection specializer Nathan and accumulation entity It Ends With Us Movie LLC filed a suit against Lively, Reynolds, her publicist Leslie Sloane and Sloane's steadfast Vision PR successful New York Jan. 16.
According to the suit obtained by E! News, the plaintiffs accused each the defendants of civilian extortion, defamation and mendacious airy penetration of privacy. As for Lively and Reynolds specifically, she is accused of breach of implied covenant of bully religion and just dealing, and they're some accused of intentional interference with contractual relations and economical vantage arsenic good arsenic negligent interference with prospective economical advantage.
In the suit, the plaintiffs denied Lively's allegations of intersexual harassment and a retaliatory smear run against her. They besides accused her of seizing power of It Ends With Us and moving with Reynolds, Sloane, Jones and others to "tar and feather Plaintiffs successful the press" aft she received backlash for her selling of the film. (Lively said successful her filings she promoted the movie successful accordance with Sony's selling plan.)
Plaintiffs allege successful the suit the defendants worked with The New York Times "to enactment retired a blockbuster quality study arsenic devastating arsenic it was false.” The outlet stands by its report.
In portion of a connection to E!, Freedman said, "Blake Lively was either severely misled by her squad oregon intentionally and knowingly misrepresented the truth."
Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Jan. 16, 2025: Blake Lively's lawyers slam "desperate" lawsuit
Lively's ineligible squad called his suit "another section successful the abuser playbook," saying successful a connection to E! News, "This is an age-old story: A pistillate speaks up with factual grounds of intersexual harassment and retaliation and the abuser attempts to crook the tables connected the victim. This is what experts telephone DARVO. Deny. Attack. Reverse Victim Offender. "
She further accused him of retaliating erstwhile she made allegations against him, saying Baldoni is trying to displacement the communicative that Lively "seized originative power and alienated the formed from Mr. Baldoni."
"The grounds volition show," it continued, "that the formed and others had their ain antagonistic experiences with Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer. The grounds volition besides amusement that Sony asked Ms. Lively to oversee Sony’s chopped of the film, which they past selected for organisation and was a resounding success."
Her squad went connected to slam Baldoni's absorption to her allegations of harassment.
"Their effect to intersexual harassment allegations: she wanted it, it’s her fault. Their justification for wherefore this happened to her: look what she was wearing," her lawyers added. "In short, portion the unfortunate focuses connected the abuse, the abuser focuses connected the victim. The strategy of attacking the pistillate is desperate, it does not refute the grounds successful Ms. Lively’s complaint, and it volition fail.”
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