The legal team of Blake Lively responded to the $400 million defamation and extortion lawsuit filed by Justin Baldoni against the actress and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.
The dispute originates from the production of the movie 'It Ends With Us'. Lively's lawyers described Baldoni's lawsuit as a "classic strategy of an abuser" and shifted the narrative to involve allegations of sexual harassment.
Statements from Blake Lively's legal team
In a statement to Page Six, Lively's lawyers issued a strong response to the lawsuit filed by Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their associates:
"This latest lawsuit by Justin Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their associates is another chapter in the abuser's playbook," they stated.
They added: “This is a very old story: a woman reports sexual harassment and the retaliation suffered, and the abuser tries to turn the situation against the victim”.
The actress's legal team accused the plaintiffs of using the concept of DARVO (Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender), which involves denying the accusations and attacking the victim.
Additionally, they pointed out that Wayfarer Studios is filing "baseless" lawsuits to divert attention and prevent the public from recognizing the true nature of their actions, which are allegedly motivated by retaliation against the sexual harassment allegations that Lively filed against Baldoni.
Baldoni's accusations against Lively and Reynolds
In a dramatic turn of events, Baldoni filed a lawsuit accusing Blake Lively of manipulating him through the influence of her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and her friend Taylor Swift, to accept changes to the script of It Ends With Us.
Baldoni claims he was invited to the couple's penthouse in New York, where both Reynolds and Swift praised him for his performance and the work he had done with Lively in a key scene of the movie.
After the meeting, Baldoni supposedly sent a text message to Lively thanking her for the changes she had made, emphasizing that without the intervention of Reynolds or Swift, the rewriting had seemed beneficial to him.
Lively responds: "It's not just about me"
In their response, Lively's legal team ensures that Baldoni's accusations are a desperate strategy to divert attention from the public allegations of sexual harassment and emotional manipulation that were made in December 2024.
Lively's lawyers claim that the evidence will show that other cast members also had negative experiences with Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios. Additionally, they allege that Sony specifically asked Lively to oversee the version of the film that was distributed, and that this version was a resounding success.
"The evidence will show that the cast and others had their own negative experiences with Baldoni and Wayfarer. The evidence will also show that Sony asked Lively to oversee Sony's version of the film, which they then selected for distribution and was a resounding success," they stated.
Baldoni's accusations regarding Lively's control
In the lawsuit filed by Baldoni, the director also accused Lively of getting excessively involved in the production of the film, even taking full control of her character's wardrobe, something he considers "beyond her contractual scope."
Baldoni even mentioned that Lively had made comments about pornography during a discussion and that, according to him, she had entered his trailer while he was present, something she strongly denied in the lawsuit. He also reported derogatory comments from Lively about his appearance, including a criticism of his nose.
The legal conflict continues
The legal confrontation between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni began in December 2024 when Lively filed a sexual harassment complaint against her co-star and director. In her complaint, Lively alleged that Baldoni had orchestrated a smear campaign against her in retaliation for the accusations she had made. Since then, both have been involved in an ongoing legal battle.