It Ends With Us was only the beginning of the Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively story. Since the film’s successful theatrical debut this summer, the two co-stars’ legal drama has started to overshadow the project. On Dec. 31, Lively sued Baldoni, and then the actor-director returned the favor on Jan. 16.
Baldoni’s $400M Lawsuit
In their respective lawsuits, both accuse the other of attacking their image, among other claims. In Baldoni’s lawsuit, he teams up with It Ends With Us producer Jamey Heath and publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, who are all named parties in Lively’s lawsuit. Their complaint also includes Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds.
Among their claims are civil extortion, defamation, false light invasion of privacy, breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing, intentional interference with contractual relations, and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage. They seek $400 million in damages.
The lawsuit alleges that Lively was upset about her public image taking a hit while promoting the film and “needed a scapegoat.” It claims she wasn’t the victim of a coordinated attack on her public persona but rather of her own “disastrous marketing efforts and tone-deaf press interviews.”
“This lawsuit is a legal action based on an overwhelming amount of untampered evidence detailing Blake Lively and her team’s duplicitous attempt to destroy Justin Baldoni, his team and their respective companies by disseminating grossly edited, unsubstantiated, new and doctored information to the media,” said Bryan Freedman, Baldoni’s lawyer, in a statement to People.
Reps for Lively and Reynolds did not immediately respond to Bustle’s request for comment.
The Legal Saga, Explained
Over the summer, there were rumors that the It Ends With Us stars were feuding, and shortly after the film’s Aug. 9 release date, Lively admitted there were creative differences on set and Baldoni spoke of “friction.”
In December, the situation escalated. Lively filed a legal complaint on Dec. 12, in which she alleged that Baldoni had sexually harassed her while making the film and instigated a retaliatory smear campaign against her with the help of his publicists. Lively’s legal complaint coincided with a New York Times article about her allegations. It included details about the alleged smear campaign, including text messages between various parties. She filed a lawsuit on Dec. 31.
Freedman, Baldoni’s lawyer, called Lively’s claims “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious” at the time, and he sued the Times for libel on behalf of Baldoni and multiple others, including Heath, Nathan, and Abel. (In response, a spokesperson from the Times called their story “meticulously and responsibly reported.”)
Lively’s attorneys responded to the filing, suggesting Baldoni’s team had taken a “blame the victim” approach. “We will continue to prosecute her claims in federal court, where the rule of law determines who prevails, not hyperbole and threats,” they said in part, according to People.
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