Justin Baldoni calls Blake Lively's 'outrageous' lawsuit an attempt to fix her negative reputation

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Justin Baldoni has responded to Blake Lively's sexual harassment lawsuit, calling it an effort to fix her unfavorable reputation.

The lawsuit, which centers on alleged misconduct during the filming of 'It Ends With Us', has brought tensions between the director and actress into the spotlight.

Blake Lively accuses Justin Baldoni of toxic workplace environment

The complaint follows months of speculation of some behind-the-scenes drama between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni on 'It Ends With Us'.

Lively has accused Baldoni of fostering a toxic workplace during the production of their movie.

TMZ reported Lively claimed the situation became so hostile that an all-hands-on-deck meeting was held. Her husband, Ryan Reynolds, reportedly attended the meeting along with others to address the concerns.

Blake Lively alleges agreement violation in 'It Ends With Us' promotion

Blake Lively’s complaint detailed allegations that Justin Baldoni made inappropriate remarks, including comments about her weight and her late father.

She also claimed he made disparaging comments about the cast and crew, besides other serious allegations. 

The lawsuit requested that there be "no more adding" of explicit scenes "beyond the scope of what was approved in the original script when she signed on to the project," per the filings.

The actress also alleged that the studio initially accepted her demands, and determined the campaign would focus “more on Lily’s [Lively’s character] strength and resilience as opposed to describing the film as a story about domestic violence," during promotions.

They were also supposed to “avoid talking about this film that makes it feel sad or heavy [sic]—it’s a story of hope.”

However, it did not go according to the agreement, per the lawsuit.

Blake Lively claims Justin Baldoni headed smear campaign against her

In her lawsuit, Blake Lively alleged that Justin Baldoni and his team engaged in a coordinated social media smear campaign to damage her reputation.

The legal filing includes text messages from the director's publicist to the studio, stating Baldoni "wants to feel like [Lively] can be buried" and "we can’t write we will destroy her," Daily Mail reported.

Lively stated that the campaign was designed to spoil her image following the production disputes.

Following the lawsuit, she further requested protections against similar retaliatory tactics to prevent others from facing similar situations.

“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,” Lively said in her statement to The New York Times.

Justin Baldoni denies allegations and calls Blake Lively's lawsuit outrageous

Justin Baldoni has denied the accusations in Blake Lively’s lawsuit.

His attorney, Bryan Freedman, described the lawsuit as "false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt," in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.

He said, it was "yet another desperate attempt to ‘fix’ her negative reputation which was garnered from her own remarks and actions during the campaign for the film; interviews and press activities that were observed publicly, in real time and unedited, which allowed for the internet to generate their own views and opinions.”

He alleged that Lively displayed diva-like behavior, including "threatening to not showing up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release  if her demands were not met."