Blake Lively Sues ‘It Ends With Us’ Director Justin Baldoni in New Lawsuit

Blake Lively officially filed a complaint against Justin Baldonihis partner and director of the film It ends with us.

Lively, 37, filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, 40, in the Southern District of New York on Tuesday (December 31). Us every week can confirm. In addition to Baldoni, the actress also sues publicists Melissa Nathan And Jennifer Abelwith Wayfarer Studios.

The trial alleged sexual harassmentretaliation, breach of contract, emotional distress, invasion of privacy and loss of wages. The claims parallel those made in Lively’s complaint filed with the California Department of Civil Rights last week.

“Earlier today, Ms. Lively filed a federal lawsuit against Wayfarer Studios and others in the Southern District of New York,” Lively’s attorneys said in a statement to We. “MS. Lively had previously sent her complaint to the California Department of Civil Rights in response to Wayfarer’s retaliatory campaign against her for reporting sexual harassment and workplace safety concerns. Unfortunately, the decision by Ms. Lively to speak out led to further retaliation and attacks.”

The statement continues: “As Ms. Lively’s federal complaint alleges, Wayfarer and its associates violated federal and California state law by retaliating against her for reporting sexual harassment and safety concerns on the workplace. Now, the defendants will answer for their conduct in federal court. Ms. Lively brought this litigation in New York, where most of the relevant activities described in the complaint occurred, but we reserve the right to pursue further actions in other locations and jurisdictions as permitted by law.

Lively addressed her lawsuit via a Saturday, December 21 statement to Us every week.

“I hope my legal action will help shed light on these sinister retaliatory tactics aimed at harming people who speak out about misconduct and help protect others who may be targeted,” she said. .

The trial comes the same day Baldoni filed a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times for her reporting on Blake Lively’s sexual harassment accusations.

Baldoni was one of 10 plaintiffs, which also included publicists Nathan and Abel as well as It ends with us producers James Heath And Steve SaraowitzIn the trial filed Tuesday, December 31 in Los Angeles Superior Court.

The plaintiffs are suing for defamation and false light invasion of privacy and allege that The New York Times “cherry-picked” communications and context omitted in order to mislead readers in his article “We Can Bury Anybody: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.”

The piece, written by Megan Twohey, Mike McIntire And Julie Tate Lively was allegedly the victim of sexual harassment from Baldoni for months and was released on Saturday, December 21.

The lawsuit alleges that Lively waged a “strategic and manipulative” smear campaign against Baldoni (rather than the other way around), using false “allegations of sexual harassment to assert unilateral control over all aspects of the production.”

Following the filing of the lawsuit, Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman called Lively’s accusations published by the New York Times a “vicious smear campaign”.

Related: Blake Lively sues Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment

Blake Lively sued It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment. According to the lawsuit obtained by TMZ and the New York Times, Baldoni’s alleged behavior caused Lively, 37, “severe emotional distress.” The lawsuit alleges that a meeting was held to address Lively’s claims that there was a ” […]

“In this vicious smear campaign entirely orchestrated by Blake Lively and her team, the New York Times “I have cowered before the desires and whims of two powerful ‘untouchable’ Hollywood elites, disregarding the journalistic practices and ethics once worthy of the revered publication by using falsified and manipulated texts and intentionally omitting texts that challenge the public relations narrative they have chosen,” he said in a statement to We Tuesday, December 31. “In doing so, they predetermined the outcome of their story and aided and abetted their own devastating smear campaign designed to revitalize the ailing public image it itself provoked and to counter the organic wave of criticism among audiences online. The irony is rich.

He continued: “Make no mistake, however, because we are all coming together to eliminate The New York Times by no longer allowing them to deceive the public, we will continue this campaign of authenticity by also prosecuting individuals who abused their power to attempt to destroy the lives of my clients. While their side adheres to partial truths, we embrace the truth in its entirety – and have all the communications to support it. The public will decide for themselves as they did at the beginning.”

Baldoni has already categorically denied all of Lively’s allegations by Freedman, who called the accusations “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious” in a statement to We. The statement also claimed that Lively took legal action to “repair her negative reputation” and “rehash a narrative” about the film’s production.