In a shocking turn of events, actor and director Justin Baldoni is planning to sue his former co-star Blake Lively for defamation and sexual harassment claims. Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, confirmed to NBC that a lawsuit is imminent, stating he is prepared to release a large collection of text messages he believes will prove Baldoni’s innocence.
A Tangled Legal Battle
The legal battle stems from Lively’s accusations that Baldoni created a hostile work environment on the set of their film “It Ends with Us,” which he also directed. Lively accuses Baldoni of unwelcome conduct, including walking into her dressing room while she was breastfeeding and making inappropriate comments about her weight.
These accusations were brought to light on December 20th when Lively filed a complaint with California’s civil rights department. Following this, the New York Times published a detailed report on the alleged harassment and Baldoni’s purported smear campaign against Lively. In response, Baldoni denied the claims and filed a $250 million libel lawsuit against the New York Times on December 31st, alleging the newspaper was pressured by Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, to publish the story.
On the same day, Lively filed a federal lawsuit against Baldoni, his production company, and others, alleging harassment and a “carefully crafted, coordinated, and resourced retaliatory scheme to silence her, and others, from speaking out.”
Baldoni Claims Innocence
Despite the ongoing legal battles, Baldoni’s attorney insists that his client never intended to harm Lively. Freedman told NBC, “Justin Baldoni, from the get-go, said: ‘I don’t wanna do anything negative toward her, I don’t wanna hurt her.'”
Freedman also stated that he believes “there’s always some behavior that can make people uncomfortable” but questioned whether Baldoni’s actions crossed the line into sexual harassment.
Text Messages Could Be Key
Freedman claims a trove of text messages exists that can provide crucial context and shed light on the truth of the situation. He expressed his willingness to release these messages publicly, stating: “I am more than willing to take every single text message that exists out there, lay them out, put them on a website for the world to see, have them see the truth and determine the truth for themselves.”
What Happens Next?
The legal battle between Baldoni and Lively is likely to continue for some time. The outcome of this case will have significant implications for both parties involved as well as for the ongoing conversation about workplace harassment and power dynamics in Hollywood.
Keep up-to-date on this developing story.