Blake Lively sexual harassment claims : Blake Lively has filed a civil rights complaint accusing her It Ends With Us co-star and director, Justin Baldoni, of sexual harassment and retaliation. She alleges that Baldoni and his team devised a “plan” to damage her reputation.
According to a complaint submitted to the California Civil Rights Department on Friday, as reported by The New York Times, Lively claims a meeting was convened during the film’s production to address a “hostile work environment that nearly disrupted filming.”
In the complaint, Lively voiced concerns about “ongoing sexual harassment and other troubling behavior by Mr. Baldoni.
Blake Lively Files Civil Rights Complaint Against Justin Baldoni
The complaint reveals that Lively’s husband, actor and producer Ryan Reynolds, attended the meeting as her designated representative.
It states that during the discussion, the parties addressed “inappropriate conduct” allegedly perpetrated by Justin Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath, which affected Lively, her employees, and other cast and crew members.
An agreement was reached that Lively and her team would no longer be subjected to explicit videos or images of women, discussions about the individuals’ alleged pornography addictions, descriptions of their genitalia, or derogatory remarks directed at Lively and her employees, according to the complaint.
Allegations of Sexual Harassment and Retaliation
It was also agreed that an intimacy coordinator would be present on set whenever Lively filmed scenes with Baldoni.
The complaint includes screenshots of text messages and other communications, obtained by Lively’s legal team during discovery, which they claim reveal deliberate efforts by Baldoni’s PR team to damage her reputation through a “social manipulation campaign.”
It Ends With Us is an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel, focusing on domestic violence within a couple, portrayed by Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.
The complaint, which serves as a precursor to a lawsuit, names Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios, his publicist, producer Jamey Heath, and a crisis PR manager, among others, as defendants.
As both an actor and producer on the film, Lively “seeks to clarify the record, hold the Wayfarer Parties and Associates accountable, and expose this form of retaliation to prevent its use against others who stand against sexual harassment,” according to the filing.
Bryan Freedman, attorney for Baldoni, Heath, and Wayfarer Studios, has denied the allegations in a statement to CNN.
“These accusations are entirely false, outrageous, and deliberately inflammatory, designed to harm reputations and reignite a false narrative in the media,” Freedman stated.
He added, “It is deeply regrettable that Ms. Lively and her team would level such baseless and serious accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and its representatives. This appears to be a desperate attempt to salvage her reputation, which was affected by her own comments and actions during the film’s promotional campaign. These were observed publicly and unedited, leading to organic public reactions and opinions online.”
Freedman stated that Wayfarer proactively brought in a crisis PR manager in response to “numerous demands and threats” allegedly made by Lively during the film’s production. He claimed Lively had threatened actions such as “refusing to appear on set” and “declining to promote the film, potentially jeopardizing its release, if her demands were not met.”
Additionally, Baldoni’s attorney accused Lively’s team of disseminating “negative, entirely fabricated, and false stories to the media” about Baldoni in the lead-up to the film’s release.
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In a statement to CNN, Lively responded, “I hope my legal action sheds light on these malicious retaliatory tactics used to intimidate and harm individuals who speak out about misconduct, and serves to protect others who might face similar targeting.”
It Ends With Us achieved commercial success, grossing over $350 million at the box office.
However, reports later emerged of creative differences and on-set tensions between Lively and Baldoni. The pair did not participate in joint promotions for the film, sparking online debate about their respective approaches to addressing domestic violence, a core theme of the movie.
Lively faced criticism from some who perceived her messaging about the film as overly optimistic.Blake Lively Accuses Justin Baldoni of Sexual Harassment & Retaliation Amid It Ends With Us Controversy
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