Justin Baldoni sued Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds for civil extortion, defamation and different actions in a lawsuit filed Thursday.
Baldoni accused Lively of tormenting him, his household and colleagues in a lawsuit filed within the Southern District of New York and obtained by Fox News Digital. The actor requested a jury trial and a judgment of $400,000,000.
Lively sued Baldoni first for sexual harassment after the 2 starred collectively within the Colleen Hoover-adapted movie, “It Ends With Us.” Since the premiere of the film in August, Lively has additionally accused Baldoni of taking part in a deliberate smear marketing campaign to smash her status.
However, Baldoni – together with Wayfarer Studios, Jamey Heath and others – paint a distinct story within the actor’s personal lawsuit.
Justin Baldoni sued Blake Lively for civil extortion, defamation and extra in a lawsuit filed Jan. 16. (Getty Images)
“Plaintiffs now haven’t any alternative however to combat again armed solely with the reality – and the mountain of concrete proof disproving Lively’s allegations,” the courtroom docs learn.
“Heartbreakingly, a movie that Baldoni envisioned years in the past would honor the survivors of home violence by telling their story, with the lofty aim of creating a optimistic influence on the planet, has now been overshadowed past recognition solely on account of Lively’s actions and cruelty.”
Baldoni’s authorized group claimed Lively has no proof of a deliberate smear marketing campaign and as an alternative labored to restore her status by accusing the actor and others of sexual harassment.
“But Lively couldn’t tolerate her publicly tainted picture for even a second, and additional couldn’t settle for that it was totally of her personal making,” the lawsuit learn. “She wanted a scapegoat. And slightly than admit and take accountability for her personal mishaps, she selected in charge Plaintiffs, in a malicious and unforgivably public method.”
“When she and Reynolds couldn’t power Baldoni and Wayfarer to learn an announcement she and her representatives ready, extorting them to ‘take accountability’ in protection of Lively’s actions, she lay in look forward to months, making ready to publicly assault Baldoni by falsely claiming that he had sexually harassed her.”
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are seen on the set of “It Ends With Us” on Jan. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
Baldoni’s authorized group included textual content messages, emails and extra as “untampered proof” backing up the “Jane the Virgin” star’s claims.
“This lawsuit is a authorized motion based mostly on an amazing quantity of untampered proof detailing Blake Lively and her group’s duplicitous try and destroy Justin Baldoni, his group and their respective corporations by disseminating grossly edited, unsubstantiated, new and doctored info to the media,” Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, stated in an announcement to Fox News Digital. “It is evident based mostly on our personal all out willingness to offer all full textual content messages, emails, video footage and different documentary proof that was shared between the events in actual time, that it is a battle she won’t win and will definitely remorse. Blake Lively was both severely misled by her group or deliberately and knowingly misrepresented the reality.”
“Ms. Lively won’t ever once more be allowed to proceed to use precise victims of actual harassment solely for her private status achieve on the expense of these with out energy,” the assertion continued. “Let’s not overlook, Ms. Lively and her group tried to bulldoze reputations and livelihoods for heinously egocentric causes by their very own harmful manipulation of the media earlier than even taking any precise authorized motion. We know the reality, and now the general public does too. Justin and his group don’t have anything to cover, paperwork don’t lie.”
A consultant for Lively and Reynolds didn’t return Fox News Digital’s quick request for remark.
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Blake Lively accused Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment. ( Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Lively detailed allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation, intentional affliction of emotional misery, negligence and extra made by Baldoni and movie producer Jamey Heath in a criticism first filed with the California Civil Rights division and later in federal courtroom.
According to the criticism, obtained by Fox News Digital, the actress convened an “all palms” assembly on Jan. 4, 2024, concerning the alleged conduct of Baldoni and Heath, a gathering which her husband, Reynolds, attended.
“Ms. Lively was compelled to deal with issues about Mr. Baldoni and Mr. Heath’s misconduct with them instantly, and started doing so months earlier than filming started,” the criticism reads. “The issues she raised weren’t just for herself, however for the opposite feminine solid and crew, a few of whom had additionally spoken up.”
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Justin Baldoni sued The New York Times for defamation following Blake Lively’s sexual harassment lawsuit. (Nathan Congleton/NBC by way of Getty Images)
Following Lively’s lawsuit, Baldoni additionally sued The New York Times for defamation.
However, Lively’s group famous her allegations are “backed by concrete details.”
“This isn’t a ‘feud’ arising from ‘artistic variations’ or a ‘he stated/she stated’ scenario,” her attorneys informed Fox News Digital. “As alleged in Ms. Lively’s criticism, and as we are going to show in litigation, Wayfarer [Studios] and its associates engaged in illegal, retaliatory astroturfing towards Ms. Lively for merely attempting to guard herself and others on a movie set. And their response to the lawsuit has been to launch extra assaults towards Ms. Lively since her submitting.”
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