Justin Baldoni is suing Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds for defamation and extortion. He claims the “It Ends With Us” actress and her husband tried to smear him in the press.
In this new lawsuit, Baldoni also references a previous suit he filed against The New York Times. He asserts that the newspaper’s article portrayed him in a deliberately misleading light.
The Times article reported on Lively’s original lawsuit. She accused Baldoni of sexual harassment on the set of “It Ends With Us” and alleged he coordinated an online smear campaign against her.
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Baldoni disputed these claims and accused the publication of cherry-picking texts. The original report spotlighted a small fraction of the thousands of communications allegedly showing Baldoni and his team plotting to hurt Lively’s image if she went public.
Baldoni and his publicists filed a 179-page lawsuit in a New York federal court. They’re seeking at least $400 million in damages, including potential future earnings lost during this legal battle.
They argue that Lively and Reynolds manipulated the media to smear Baldoni. Part of the lawsuit states: “When Lively and Reynolds’ efforts failed to win them the acclaim they believed they so richly deserved, they turned their fury on their chosen scapegoat.”
One allegation claims Baldoni repeatedly entered Lively’s trailer without permission while she was breastfeeding. However, Baldoni’s lawsuit counters this by citing a text message in which Lively said she was pumping if he wanted to work out their lines.
Lively also states that Baldoni made comments about her weight. She alleges he contacted her personal trainer without her knowledge, demanding she lose weight within weeks so he could lift her during a scene.
Baldoni insists this request was reasonable because of his back issues. He maintains that these allegations distort the actual context of on-set interactions.
Baldoni and the other plaintiffs in the suit are demanding a jury trial. They seek to clear his name, believing a courtroom will provide the transparency needed in this high-profile conflict.
