Justin Baldoni claims Blake Lively named ‘It Ends with Us’ party drink after the film’s addict

Justin Baldoni claims in a complaint that his It ends with us costar Blake Lively didn’t take their film’s subject matter seriously, so much so that she reportedly named a drink after the drama’s house addict during a premiere after-party.

Baldoni, along with producer Jamey Heath, publicist Jennifer Abel and crisis publicist Melissa Nathan, filed a $400 million lawsuit in the Southern District of New York on Thursday, January 16, against Lively, Ryan Reynolds, their publicist Leslie Sloane and Sloane’s PR firm Vision PR, Inc. , over the ongoing fallout from the film and its production.

In the 179-page suit, Baldoni and his co-plaintiffs highlight what they claim were “disastrous marketing efforts and tone-deaf press interviews and appearances” by Lively during the promotion of It ends with us in 2024. Those efforts, they say, “backfired and led to widespread criticism of Lively’s promotional approach to the film’s highly sensitive focus on domestic violence.”

As an example, the suit alleges that a drink was served at Lively’s “premiere after party” called “Ryle You Wait.” IN It ends with usRyle Kincaid (portrayed on screen by Baldoni) is Lively’s character Lily Bloom’s eventual husband. He ultimately commits domestic violence against Lily, leading to the dissolution of their relationship as they welcome a child together.

Baldoni’s lawyers call the name of the drink “harmful and irresponsible”, and also state in the suit that “social media commentators were quick to point out that (Lively’s) association with her alcoholic drink was in particularly bad taste, given the World Health Organization’s estimate that 55% of violent incidents in the home is associated with alcohol.”

Lively’s Betty Booze alcohol brand and sparkling mixer company Betty Buzz appear to have been part of the “Ryle You Wait” drink, as seen in a since-deleted Instagram video it was screen recorded and shared to Reddit. The origin and authenticity of the video is unclear. In it, a drink menu shows the “Ryle You Wait” cocktail was made with bourbon, Lively’s Betty Buzz ginger ale, apple cider, cardamom bitters, cinnamon and an apple florette garnish.

Baldoni is suing Lively and her co-defendants alleging civil racketeering, defamation, false light invasion of privacy, breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, intentional interference with contractual relations, intentional interference with potential economic benefit and negligent interference with potential economic benefit.

Reps for Lively, Reynolds and Sloane did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Never miss a story – sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Lively has already sued Baldoni and his associates, alleging sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign launched by Baldoni. In her initial filing on Dec. 20, Lively claimed that Baldoni exhibited “disturbing” and “unprofessional” behavior on set, leading to a “hostile work environment.”

Lively’s complaint includes allegations that Baldoni and producer Heath entered her trailer “uninvited” while she was undressed or “vulnerable,” claims Baldoni “suddenly” pressured her to “simulate full nudity” in a birth scene and “improvised physical intimacy that had not been rehearsed, choreographed or discussed with Ms. Lively, with no intimacy coordinator involved.” Her complaint alleges that in the wake of the experience and the alleged smear campaign against her, Lively has “suffered grief, fear, trauma and extreme anxiety.”

In Lively’s complaint, she directly addresses the marketing approach Baldoni calls out in her own lawsuit, claiming the strategy was one they both contractually agreed to, as “created and delivered by the film’s distributor, Sony.” In her suit, Lively claims that “the marketing plan directed the cast to ‘(f)ocus more on Lily’s strength and resilience as opposed to describing the film as a domestic violence story’ and to ‘(a) avoid talking about this film that makes it feel sad or heavy (sic) – it’s a story of hope.’ ”

Baldoni has also sued New York Times alleging libel in response to its December 21, 2024 article”‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.” The suit alleges the paper used “cherry-picked” and altered communications stripped of necessary context and deliberately spliced ​​to mislead” in its article about Lively’s complaint.

The It ends with us premiere on August 6, 2024 also took into account Baldoni’s libel suit against Times. In it, he claimed that Lively allegedly “initially refused to allow” him to attend the New York premiere, and “only after considerable pressure did she reluctantly agree to allow Baldoni and the Wayfarer team to attend, but under humiliating conditions.” His lawyers claim that Baldoni was “separated” from the main cast and “excluded” from the official after party.