Actor Justin Baldoni filed a defamation lawsuit against Hollywood stars Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds on Thursday, claiming they tried to destroy him by accusing him of sexually harassing the actress and then retaliating against her through a smear campaign.
The lawsuit is the latest legal action in a feud related to the 2024 film “It Ends With Us,” which starred Ms. Lively and Mr. Baldoni, who also directed it.
The 179-page complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, named Ms. Lively and Mr. Reynolds, her husband, as defendants, along with their publicist Leslie Sloane and her company, Vision PR. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Mr. Baldoni; the film’s lead producer, Jamey Heath; their production company, Wayfarer Studios; and publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel. They are seeking $400 million in damages.
In response to Thursday’s trial, Ms. Lively’s legal team said in a statement: “The strategy of attacking the woman is desperate, it does not refute the evidence in Ms. Lively’s complaint, and it will fail.” »
The New York Times published an article on December 21 about Ms. Lively’s allegations against Mr. Baldoni. She claimed in a complaint filed the day before with the California Department of Civil Rights that Mr. Baldoni launched the campaign after accusing her of sexual harassment during the filming of “It Ends With Us.”
The Times report referenced private text messages and emails that Ms. Lively obtained through a subpoena and which were included in her complaint.
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