The case of Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively continues to escalate. The actor and director has expanded his legal response against his actress and co-star by filing a countersuit that also involves Ryan Reynolds, Lively’s husband, whom he accuses of having ‘aggressively challenged’ him because of Lively.
In the legal document, Reynolds, known for his role in Deadpool, is accused of alleged crimes of defamation, contractual interference, and witness tampering.
What does Justin Baldoni claim in his counterclaim against Blake Lively that also mentions Ryan Reynolds?
Baldoni's lawsuit also mentions a specific incident during a meeting, in which he claims to have been treated aggressively by Reynolds, defending Blake, in what Baldoni describes as a traumatic experience.
A few days ago, Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, had said: "I am not going to talk about when or how many lawsuits we are filing, but when we file our first lawsuit, it will surprise all those who have been manipulated into believing a demonstrably false narrative. It will be supported by real evidence and will tell the true story."
In addition to this countersuit, Baldoni also filed a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times, accusing the media outlet of publishing information that supports Lively's statements with alleged manipulated and out-of-context communications.
The conflict began after Lively filed an initial complaint against Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment and carrying out a smear campaign during the promotion of the movie "It Ends With Us," in which they both worked.
According to the actress, the director showed explicit images without her consent, questioned aspects of her personal life, and suggested intimate scenes not agreed upon in the film's script, among several other demands that the actress made due to the "hostile environment" that Baldoni had created during production.
The film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's novel managed to raise 50 million dollars worldwide, but controversy was not far from the co-stars, as there were rumors from the beginning that there was a very bad relationship between them.