Justin Baldoni, the actor and director known for his role in the film It Ends With Us, has taken a bold step by filing a lawsuit against his co-star Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds.
This legal action comes in response to Lively’s earlier complaint of sexual harassment and reputation destruction against Baldoni.
The lawsuit, amounting to $400m (£326m) in damages, accuses Lively and Reynolds of civil extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy.
Despite these serious allegations, representatives for Lively, Reynolds, and their publicist, who is also implicated in the case, have yet to respond to the lawsuit.
According to Baldoni’s lawyers, the dispute has escalated due to Lively and her team’s attempts to tarnish his reputation.
They claim that Lively and her associates have circulated misleading and doctored information to the media with the intention of harming Baldoni’s career.
The conflict originated from their collaboration on the film It Ends With Us, based on a novel about domestic abuse. Despite the movie’s success at the box office, tensions between the co-stars were apparent during the press tour.
Notably, Baldoni was absent from some promotional events, indicating underlying friction between the cast members.
Lively’s legal complaint alleged various forms of misconduct by Baldoni and his studio’s boss during the film’s production.
In response, Baldoni’s team refuted the accusations as false, citing Lively’s threats to sabotage the project unless her demands were met.
The ongoing legal battle is now centered on whether Baldoni or Lively is responsible for the conflict. Baldoni’s legal team asserts that the lawsuit is not merely a celebrity feud but a serious matter of truth and justice.
