UPDATED with statements from Baldoni lawyer and Lively PR: The fallout, now with lawyers involved, between Blake Lively and her It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni shows no sign of quietening, with a report Saturday that Baldoni is preparing to file a countersuit in response to Lively’s own a week ago.
On December 20, Lively filed an 80-page legal complaint against Baldoni, citing his inappropriate behavior on set, as well as that he had been instrumental in an alleged smear campaign against her — all claims he denies.
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Now, the UK’s Daily Mail newspaper reports that Baldoni is preparing to file a counter-lawsuit, along with his business partner and Wayfarer Studios CEO Jamey Heath and the publicists named in Lively’s complaint. The Mail reports that the papers will be filed by attorney Bryan Freedman when the courts reopen after the New Year break, including claims as follows:
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Lively’s Vision PR team, led by company boss Leslie Sloane, was responsible for smears against Baldoni, not the other way round as is claimed in her legal filing
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WhatsApp messages from Baldoni’s team have been presented out of context in a way that alters their meaning
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That Lively’s own publicist planted stories painting Baldoni in a bad light with news organizations
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That Lively’s legal move is designed to rebuild her public image after she received bad press during the promotional campaign for the film.
It should be noted that the Daily Mail is already mentioned numerous times in Lively’s filing to the California Civil Rights Department as a venue for parties in this ongoing dispute over what went down on It Ends With Us. Today’s report feeds into that POV with its emphasis on Baldoni and lack of a statement from Lively’s team.
Despite, or perhaps because of, the rumors of friction on set and social media uproar, It Ends With Us — based on the 2016 book by Colleen Hoover, detailing domestic abuse between a married couple — was successful at the cinema, earning more than $350 million at the box office from a $25 million production budget.
In a statement via her attorney when she filed her complaint, Lively said: “I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted.” To be clear, Lively’s sexual harassment and retaliation complaint to the Golden State agency is not an actual lawsuit. However, in setting the stage, it is a prelude to one to be filed soon-ish, we hear.
As a result of that initial filing, Lively has received widespread support from figures across the industry. Baldoni was dropped by his agents at WME (which reps Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds), had a women’s solidarity award revoked and his podcast co-host quit their project. He is also being sued by his ex-publicist.
Today, in a preemptive move against any potential countersuit, Vision PR’s Sloane offered Deadline a different perspective on the events in question.
“I was contacted on 8/11 by Sara Nathan (Melissa Nathan’s sister) forwarding an anonymous tip that Page Six received, regarding allegations of HR complaints on the set of It Ends with Us,” Sloane says, noting the New York Post media connection by Baldoni’s team, ran by crisis PR chief Melissa Nathan.
“After that, I was contacted by various press outlets asking about allegations of HR complaints,” Sloane stated. “When contacted, I responded to press questions by referring them to Wayfarer or Sony for information regarding HR complaints,” the veteran flack added.
“It’s clear that Mr. Baldoni and his Wayfarer Associates are suggesting that I originated press stories about HR complaints on set, which is false. Please read Ms. Lively’s Complaint and the Complaint filed by Jonesworks LLC and Stephanie Jones, which provides the details of the campaign against my client.”
The statement from Sloane was also provided to the Daily Mail, we’re told — though it didn’t seem to make the cut.
On the other side, Baldoni’s main lawyer Freedman would neither confirm nor deny the Daily Mail’s self-declared exclusive that a countersuit is coming January 2. Still, in typical fashion, Freedman came out swinging when talking to Deadline today.
“I am not going to speak to when or how many lawsuits we are filing but when we file our first lawsuit, it is going to shock everyone who has been manipulated into believing a demonstrably false narrative,” the Hollywood legal street fighter told Deadline. “It will be supported by real evidence and tell the true story. In over 30 years of practicing, I have never seen this level of unethical behavior intentionally fueled through media manipulation. It reminds me of what NBC tried to do to Megyn Kelly and Gabrielle Union and we all know how that ended up. Standby.”
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