It appears the hostility between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni will not end with 2024.
Following a recent exclusive report by Dailymail.com, it has been revealed that Baldoni, the actor-director of It Ends with Us, along with several associates, is gearing up to file a countersuit against their co-star Lively. This legal action is set to take place on January 2, as confirmed by Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman. Freedman has stated that the contents of the filing will be nothing short of shocking.
In a statement to Deadline, Freedman mentioned that they are not disclosing the exact number or timing of the lawsuits to be filed. However, he emphasized that the first lawsuit will reveal truths that will be surprising to those who have been misled by false information. The aim is to shed light on what he refers to as a ‘demonstrably false narrative.’
Furthermore, Freedman assured that the forthcoming countersuit will be backed by concrete evidence, offering an authentic recount of the events that transpired between the involved parties and their respective public relations teams. This legal action seeks to present the true story behind the unfolding events in a clear and transparent manner.
‘In over 30 years of practicing, I have never seen this level of unethical behavior intentionally fueled through media manipulation,’ Freedman told the outlet. ‘It reminds me of what NBC tried to do to Megyn Kelly and Gabrielle Union and we all know how that ended up. Standby.’
Dailymail.com has reached out to Freedman, as well as reps for both Lively and Baldoni, for comment on the latest in the developing story.
It appears the hostility between Blake Lively, 37, and Justin Baldoni, 40, will not end with 2024, as a lawyer for Baldoni vows a forthcoming countersuit against the actress ‘is going to shock everyone.’ Pictured on set in NYC earlier this year
Lively accused Baldoni of sexually harassing her during production of the motion picture in multiple ways. Pictured last month in LA
Freedman told People Sunday that the countersuit will shed light on ‘those who believe themselves untouchable.’
Said Freedman: ‘This is not a response or countersuit – it’s a deliberate pursuit of truth.’
Freedman also alluded to a December 21 story on the issue published by The New York Times, titled ‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.
Freedman said that ‘this lawsuit will uncover and expose the false and destructive narrative that was intentionally engineered by a trusted media publication who relied upon nefarious sources and neglected a thorough fact checking process to confirm the validity of these texts.’
As Dailymail.com previously reported, Baldoni’s business partner Jamey Heath will also be involved with the countersuit, as well as the publicists who were cited in the complaint filed by Lively December 20.
In her 80-page legal complaint – which typically predates a formal lawsuit – Lively accused Baldoni of sexually harassing her during production of the motion picture in multiple ways.
Lively said in the legal complaint that Baldoni had barged into her trailer as she was breastfeeding her child; spoke about his past addiction to adult films; spoke about past sexual experiences with non-consensual implications; and pried her about details of her ‘intimate life.’
Lively’s legal team said in the complaint that Baldoni ‘routinely degraded [her] by finding back channel ways of criticizing her body and weight.’
Baldoni has denied all of the claims against him in Lively’s legal filing
Baldoni received an award at the Vital Voices 12th Annual Voices of Solidarity Awards on December 9 in NYC, but the honor has since been rescinded
Baldoni and select associates worked in concert in instigating a negative publicly campaign at her expense, with the intent to diminish her reputation, Lively – who is married to Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds, 48 – said in the complaint.
‘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,’ Lively told the Times.
Baldoni has denied all of the claims against him in Lively’s legal filing.
In the wake of Lively’s legal filing, Baldoni has faced a number of consequences, including a lawsuit from a former publicist; and being dropped by the agency WME, which also reps Lively and Reynolds.
The organization Vital Voices said in a statement December 24 that it had rescinded an honor presented to the actor-director earlier this month, The Voices of Solidary Award.
‘The Voices of Solidarity Award honors remarkable men who have shown courage and compassion in advocating on behalf of women and girls,’ the group said.
Vital Voices subsequently said that allegations in the complaint filed by Lively were ‘disturbing,’ ‘abhorrent’ and ‘contrary to the values’ it holds dear, leading it to revoke the honors for Baldoni.
Among the expected claims made in the countersuit as previously reported by Dailymail.com include allegations that Lively’s associates mislead with their release of out of context WhatsApp messages.
Lively and Baldoni pictured filming the movie in NYC this past January
While Lively and Baldoni ‘never got on’ and ‘rubbed each other up the wrong way,’ the actress ‘has taken bits of conversations which they had when he was trying to be her friend, when they were friendly, and weaponized them,’ an insider said
Other anticipated claims in then countersuit are that Lively’s rep used media outlets to take shots at Baldoni’s reputation; and that Lively’s December 20 complaint was filed to salvage her reputation after a stretch of negative publicity.
The timing of the complaint from Lively ‘makes no sense’ as its being presented, an insider previously told Dailymail.com.
‘Do you seriously think that Blake Lively, married to one of the most powerful men in town and represented by one of the most powerful publicists, is going to sit meekly by if she is sexually harassed on a film set, and then hang on for four months after the film is released before making a complaint?’ the insider asked.
The insider confirmed that while Lively and Baldoni ‘never got on’ and ‘rubbed each other up the wrong way,’ the actress ‘has taken bits of conversations which they had when he was trying to be her friend, when they were friendly, and weaponized them.’
The movie arrived in theaters August 9 and was a hit, earning $148 million in domestic box office, and $350 million globally
Lively’s spouse Ryan Reynolds was on Instagram Stories Sunday promoting his soccer club Wrexham AFC
Leslie Sloane, who heads up the PR company representing Lively, Vision PR, denied ever having provided the media with stories in regards to complaints about Baldoni’s conduct on the set of the movie, in a statement to Deadline on Saturday.
‘It’s clear that Mr. Baldoni and his Wayfarer Associates are suggesting that I originated press stories about HR complaints on set, which is false,’ Sloane said, referring back to ‘Lively’s Complaint and the Complaint filed by Jonesworks LLC and Stephanie Jones’ in regard to ‘the details of the campaign against’ Lively.
Sloane told the outlet that the situation involved both Baldoni PR chief Melissa Nathan and her sister, Page Six editor Sara Nathan.
‘I was contacted on 8/11 by Sara Nathan (Melissa Nathan’s sister) forwarding an anonymous tip that Page Six received,’ Sloane told Deadline, ‘regarding allegations of HR complaints on the set of It Ends with Us.’
Sloane told the outlet, ‘After that, I was contacted by various press outlets asking about allegations of HR complaints. When contacted, I responded to press questions by referring them to Wayfarer or Sony for information regarding HR complaints.’
It Ends with Us, which also starred Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj, Brandon Sklenar and Kevin McKidd, arrived in theaters August 9 and was a hit with audiences. It earned $148 million in domestic box office, and $350 million globally, according to Box Office Mojo.
