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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.

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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.”

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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.”

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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."

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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."

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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."

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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.

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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."

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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."

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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.

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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," Freedman 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."

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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.

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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).

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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." 

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