Blake Lively sues Justin Baldoni again over severe emotional distress after his $250M lawsuit against NYT
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Blake Lively has filed a new federal lawsuit against Justin Baldoni, building upon her earlier accusations of sexual harassment and a toxic work environment on the set of their film 'It Ends With Us.'
The lawsuit, submitted in New York on New Year’s Eve, coincided with Baldoni initiating a $250 million libel lawsuit against The New York Times for its coverage of Lively’s initial complaint, according to Daily Mail.
Blake Lively escalates legal battle against Justin Baldoni as he files $250M libel lawsuit
Lively’s new lawsuit expands on her first legal complaint filed earlier with the California Civil Rights Commission. It accuses Baldoni, his PR associates Jennifer Abel and Melissa Nathan, and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, of engaging in retaliatory actions designed to harm her career. The actress alleged that Baldoni’s team launched a smear campaign against her, causing significant emotional distress, mental anguish, and lost wages.
Filed on New Year's Eve, her latest lawsuit marks a formal legal action against Baldoni, Abel, and Nathan, in addition to Baldoni's production company, Wayfarer Studios, being named as defendants.
What is Blake Lively demanding in her second lawsuit?
In her most recent lawsuit, Blake Lively is seeking a jury trial and requesting both "compensatory" and "punitive" damages. She alleges that the defendants' actions have resulted in "severe emotional distress," "mental pain and anguish," and "lost wages."
Lively's lawyers issued a statement to Daily Mail, claiming that their client has endured "increased retaliation and attacks" after she chose to come forward with her accusations against Baldoni.
In her latest legal filing, Lively is seeking "punitive damages" along with "a money judgement representing compensatory damages, lost wages, earning, and all other sums of money" as well as "interest" on those amounts to be determined during the trial. She is also requesting "an award of money judgment for mental pain and anguish and severe and serious emotional distress, in an amount to be proven at trial."
On Tuesday, December 31, Lively's legal team issued a statement to Daily Mail revealing, "Earlier today, Ms Lively filed a federal complaint against Wayfarer Studios and others in the Southern District of New York."
"Ms Lively previously sent her California Civil Rights Department Complaint in response to the retaliatory campaign Wayfarer launched against her for reporting sexual harassment and workplace safety concerns. Unfortunately, Ms. Lively’s decision to speak out has resulted in further retaliation and attacks," it stated.
Lively's legal team further stated, "As alleged in Ms Lively’s federal complaint, Wayfarer and its associates have violated federal and California state law by retaliating against her for reporting sexual harassment and workplace safety concerns. Now, the defendants will answer for their conduct in federal court."
The statement continued, "Ms Lively has brought this litigation in New York, where much of the relevant activities described in the Complaint took place, but we reserve the right to pursue further action in other venues and jurisdictions as appropriate under the law."
Blake Lively files second lawsuit against Justin Baldoni amid growing legal battle
Blake Lively filed the second lawsuit against 'It Ends With Us' director, Justin Baldoni, following a months-long legal dispute that began earlier this month. On New Year’s Eve, Lively escalated her case after Baldoni initiated a $250 million libel action against The New York Times, which reported on her first lawsuit. The Times has since issued a statement standing by its coverage and pledged to "vigorously defend against the lawsuit."
In the wake of the initial lawsuit, Baldoni's career has been significantly impacted, with the mogul losing his representation at William Morris Endeavor and co-host Liz Plank quitting his 'Man Enough' podcast, which promotes “positive masculinity.”
Blake Lively gets support from 'It Ends With Us' co-stars
Meanwhile, Lively, who is married to Ryan Reynolds and is close friends with Taylor Swift, has found support from former colleagues. Brandon Sklenar and Jenny Slate, stars of 'It Ends With Us', have publicly backed Lively, alongside the novel’s author, Colleen Hoover.
In her second lawsuit filed on New Year’s Eve, Lively doubled down on the claims of harassment and misconduct made in her first complaint. Additionally, she accused Baldoni of making insensitive comments about her late father, actor Ernie Lively, who died in June 2021.
Baldoni’s legal team, led by Bryan Freedman, has denied the allegations, labeling them "false" and "outrageous" while suggesting that Lively’s lawsuits are an attempt to rehabilitate her public image after reports of her difficult behavior on set and during promotional events. Freedman further asserted that Lively had threatened to not show up for filming and promotion, which allegedly hindered the film’s success.
