Blake Lively is suing Justin Baldoni for harassment and defamation during film production

Blake Lively has filed a lawsuit against her former ‘It Ends with Us’ co-star and director, Justin Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment and a coordinated effort to destroy her reputation.

The lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, alleges that Baldoni’s behavior created a hostile work environment during the film’s production. Lively claims that the situation became so serious that an all-hands-on-deck meeting was called to resolve the issues with her husband, Ryan Reynolds, among the contestants.

Lively’s legal team outlines a number of demands she made in response to Baldoni’s alleged behavior, including requests to no longer show nude videos or images of women, a halt to discussions about Baldoni’s alleged pornography addiction, and no further comments about her weight or late father. She also requested that no additional explicit scenes, including sex or oral sex, be added to the script without her approval. These demands were approved by the studio, according to the lawsuit.

Despite these actions, the lawsuit alleges that the film’s marketing became a point of contention. Lively wanted the film to focus on her character’s resilience, while Baldoni preferred to emphasize the theme of domestic violence. Lively alleges that Baldoni and his team then orchestrated a “social manipulation” campaign to damage her reputation and cause both personal and professional harm. The suit includes texts from Baldoni’s publicist discussing how to “bury” Lively’s image.

In response, Baldoni’s legal team has vehemently denied the allegations. Bryan Freedman, Baldoni’s lawyer, described the claims as “false, outrageous” and an attempt to save Lively’s public image. He further claimed that Lively was difficult to work with on set, allegedly threatening not to appear or promote the film, which contributed to its poor reception. Freedman also addressed allegations that Baldoni asked about Lively’s weight, claiming it was due to concerns about his own back problems, not fat-shaming.

This ongoing legal battle has generated significant media attention, with both sides accusing each other of wrongdoing.