LOS ANGELES: Actress Blake Lively has strongly refuted allegations brought forward by her It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni, labelling his $400 million countersuit an example of the “abuser playbook.”
In a statement to The Independent, Lively’s legal team described Baldoni’s lawsuit, which accuses her and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, of defamation, civil extortion, and other charges, as an attempt to silence her claims of sexual harassment.
“This latest lawsuit from Justin Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and its associates is another chapter in the abuser playbook,” Lively’s team said. “This is an age-old story: A woman speaks up with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation, and the abuser attempts to turn the tables on the victim. This is what experts call DARVO—Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim Offender.”
The countersuit, filed in federal court in New York on Thursday, alleges that Lively and Reynolds sought to destroy Baldoni’s reputation through a “duplicitous” media campaign.
Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, claims to have “overwhelming evidence” of text messages, emails, and video footage to counter Lively’s allegations.
“This lawsuit is based on an overwhelming amount of untampered evidence detailing Blake Lively and her team’s duplicitous attempt to destroy Justin Baldoni, his team, and their respective companies,” Freedman told The Independent.
Lively’s allegations
The legal battle traces back to December 2024, when Lively filed a complaint with California’s Civil Rights Department accusing Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios CEO Jamey Heath of sexual harassment on the set of It Ends With Us. According to Lively, the behaviour continued despite agreements to halt such actions.
The Gossip Girl star’s lawsuit detailed instances where Baldoni allegedly made inappropriate comments about her weight, sexual conquests, and pornography addiction.
She also claimed that Baldoni and Heath retaliated against her complaints by launching a smear campaign through crisis PR firms.
In her filing, Lively outlined demands for professional boundaries, including “no more inquiries about [her] weight,” and “no further mentions of cast and crew’s genitalia.”
Baldoni’s countersuit
Baldoni denies all allegations of harassment and characterises the conflict as a creative power struggle during the production of the film.
His countersuit alleges that Lively leveraged her star power to interfere with creative decisions, including wardrobe choices, script changes, and promotional strategies.
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The lawsuit accuses Lively and Reynolds of “extortionate threats” to tarnish Baldoni’s image, claiming that they spread “grossly edited and unsubstantiated” information to the media.
“This is a battle [Lively] will not win and will certainly regret,” Freedman said, asserting that his client’s legal team is prepared to share complete evidence.
Public battle
The conflict has drawn significant media attention, with Baldoni’s team also filing a libel lawsuit against The New York Times.
The newspaper had previously reported on Lively’s allegations, citing thousands of pages of documents, text messages, and emails. In response, The New York Times defended its reporting as “meticulously and responsibly” conducted.
Adding fuel to the fire, Baldoni’s team has accused Reynolds of mocking Baldoni through the “Nicepool” character in his recent Deadpool & Wolverine movie. The lawsuit demands that Disney retain documents related to the character’s creation.
Lively’s legal team claims that other cast and crew members experienced similar issues with Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios. They have reiterated that the evidence will show a pattern of misconduct.
“Wayfarer has opted to use the resources of its billionaire co-founder to issue media statements, launch meritless lawsuits, and threaten litigation,” her team said.
