Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have filed dueling lawsuits, escalating a contentious dispute over allegations arising from the production of their film, It Ends With Us.
Lively’s lawsuit, filed in New York, accuses Baldoni and his publicity team of sexual harassment and orchestrating a campaign to tarnish her reputation. In response, Baldoni has initiated legal action against The New York Times, alleging libel and fraud, claiming the newspaper collaborated with Lively to damage his public image.
In her lawsuit, Lively seeks compensatory damages for lost wages and emotional distress, though no specific monetary amount is outlined. The legal complaint builds on her prior civil rights filing in California last December, which laid out accusations of repeated harassment and alleged retaliatory actions by Baldoni and his team.
Lively also alleges a deliberate effort to undermine her career and credibility, stating that the campaign against her intensified after she raised concerns about misconduct on set.
Baldoni’s lawsuit, first reported by Variety, counters with claims that The New York Times published a defamatory article based on misrepresented evidence. According to Baldoni, the publication relied on “cherry-picked and altered communications” that lacked crucial context, misleading readers about the situation.
His legal team argues that the newspaper failed to provide adequate time for a response to the article, which they describe as a “bombshell story” aimed at discrediting him. Baldoni is seeking $250 million in damages and has requested a jury trial.
In a statement defending its reporting, The New York Times asserted that its article was based on extensive documentation, including emails and text messages cited accurately and comprehensively.
The publication further emphasized that Baldoni has not identified any factual errors in their reporting. Despite this, Baldoni’s legal team has accused the newspaper of actively supporting what they describe as a “smear campaign” orchestrated by Lively to revive her public image.
The conflict traces back to allegations that arose during the production of It Ends With Us. Lively claims she outlined a series of demands to address misconduct on set, including prohibiting inappropriate descriptions of genitalia and restricting intimate scenes to those previously approved.
She accuses Baldoni and his team of retaliating against her by manipulating social media narratives and engaging friendly journalists to spin the story in his favor. Lively’s legal team has characterized these actions as part of a “multi-tiered plan” to destroy her reputation.
Baldoni’s team has consistently denied the allegations, calling them “categorically false” and asserting that a crisis manager was hired only after Lively threatened to derail the film’s production with her demands.
His lawyers contend that the actor and his studio, Wayfarer, acted in good faith to address concerns raised during the filming process, but Lively’s claims have since spiraled into an unwarranted attack on Baldoni’s character.
The fallout from these accusations has already had significant consequences. Baldoni was dropped by his talent agency following the publication of the New York Times article, which further fueled public scrutiny.
Meanwhile, both parties have engaged in an intense legal battle, with each side accusing the other of leveraging the media to sway public opinion. The dispute underscores the broader challenges of navigating allegations of misconduct in high-profile film productions.
It Ends With Us, based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, was released last summer. The film stars Lively as a woman in a tumultuous relationship with a charming yet abusive partner, played by Baldoni.
Hoover has publicly stated that the story was inspired by her mother’s experiences with domestic abuse, adding another layer of complexity to the controversy surrounding the film’s production. Representatives for Lively, Baldoni, and The New York Times have yet to provide further comment on the ongoing legal battle.
