What we know about Blake Lively’s lawsuit against Justin Baldoni over his alleged ‘smear’ campaign
Blake Lively has filed a legal complaint against her It Ends with Us co-star Justin Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment during filming as well as organizing a “smear campaign” against her in the months that followed.
The 37-year-old Gossip Girl actor stars as Lily Bloom in the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel, which centers around a flower shop owner’s abusive relationship with her partner, Ryle Kincaid, played by Baldoni.
The complaint, which was filed with the California Civil Rights Department and is the precursor to a lawsuit, is the culmination of months of speculation from fans and the media, after rumors of a rift between Baldoni, who also directed the movie, and the rest of the cast overshadowed its promotion.
Legal documents seen by The Independent as well as an investigation by The New York Times accuse Baldoni and associates of a targeted effort to “destroy” the actor and drag her in the media, which Lively says has caused her “severe emotional distress.”
The legal filing
Lively filed a legal complaint on Friday in which she claimed that a meeting took place in early January to address the “hostile work environment that had almost derailed the film.” She accused Baldoni and lead producer Jamey Heath of “repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behavior,” including unwanted improvised kissing from Baldoni.
According to the complaint, the actor had a number of requirements in order for her to continue work on the film, including:
— No more showing nude videos or images of women, including producer’s wife, to Lively and/or her employees.
— No more mention of Baldoni or Heath’s previous “pornography addiction”
— No more discussions to Lively and/or her employees about personal experiences with sex
— No more descriptions of their own genitalia to Lively
— No more mention by Baldoni of him “speaking to” Lively’s late father
The filing also alleged that Baldoni had “inserted improvised gratuitous sexual content and/or scenes involving nudity into the film (including for an underage character) in highly unsettling ways,” without Lively’s knowledge.
Lively alleges that after Sony Pictures approved her requests, Baldoni hired a special team and began a campaign to “destroy” her reputation.
