Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are still at each other’s necks, and their feud does not look like it will end anytime soon. Definitely not until one of them throws in the towel, and right now, it is difficult to see either party doing so, given the impact it will have on their respective careers.
Things have gotten even more serious between the two after Baldoni, whose career is already suffering from the negative publicity, released footage that Lively’s lawyers claim was heavily edited to mislead the public and ultimately corroborate her accusations.
What the Footage Justin Baldoni Released Contains
The footage, which was released on January 22, is ten minutes long and depicts interactions between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively during a scene from “It Ends With Us.” Lively had claimed in her lawsuit that Baldoni “leaned forward and slowly dragged his lips from her ear and down her neck as he said, ‘it smells so good.’”
And the footage shows a similar exchange where Baldoni is seen nuzzling Lively’s neck as she tells him, “I’m probably getting spray-tan on you,” to which he responds, “It smells good.” Another scene shows Baldoni leaning in to kiss Lively while she pulls back, saying, “I think we should be talking. I think it’s more romantic if we’re like dancing and talking.”
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As far as Baldoni’s legal team is concerned, the video is proof Lively’s harassment allegations are untrue. However, her attorneys from Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, and Willkie Farr & Gallagher assert the footage validates her claims.
They say the video showcases Baldoni’s attempts to engage in improvised, unwanted physical contact. Even though they had not discussed it beforehand, and she did not consent to it. They further allege that no intimacy coordinator was present and that Lively’s discomfort is apparent in the footage.
What Did Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni Accuse Each Other Of?
The ongoing legal battle between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively has seen them both file multiple lawsuits. Baldoni filed a $400 million defamation suit against Lively and others on January 16, alongside a $250 million action against The New York Times.
Meanwhile, Lively filed a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit against Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios. She claimed that he not only sexually harassed her on set but also launched a campaign to soil her name.
Lively’s attorneys have condemned Baldoni for publicly releasing the footage rather than presenting it as evidence in court. They described it as part of a broader “harassment and retaliatory campaign.”
Justin Baldoni has denied all of Blake Lively’s allegations. In the lawsuit, Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, publicist Jennifer Abel, crisis management expert Melissa Nathan, and other plaintiffs filed in New York Federal Court against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, her publicist Leslie Sloane, and Sloane’s firm Vision PR, he countered all her claims with many of his own.
Some of what he accused Lively of includes alleging he sexually harassed her to bury negative sentiments against her and deliberately launching her own “calculated and vitriolic smear campaign” to destroy his career.
The suit claims that Lively, who got backlash for her “tone-deaf” promotion of a film centered around domestic violence, “could not tolerate her publicly tainted image for even a moment.” As a result, it says she chose to use Baldoni as a “scapegoat” by making those allegations.
How Blake Lively Responded To Baldoni’s Accusations
Blake Lively’s legal team has tagged Baldoni’s lawsuit as “another chapter in the abuser playbook.” They have denied many of Baldoni’s claims. These include how Lively tried to seize creative control and alienated him from the cast.
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They have also promised evidence that will show Sony asked Lively to oversee a separate cut of the film. And that she was not the only cast member who had negative experiences with Baldoni and Wayfarer.
“The strategy of attacking the woman is desperate; it does not refute the evidence in Ms. Lively’s complaint. And it will fail,” her attorneys said. In an earlier statement, Lively’s lawyers said Baldoni is utilizing “a classic tactic to distract from allegations of this type of misconduct.”
They say this is being done by blaming the victim, suggesting Lively brought it on herself, leaving Baldoni as the victim.
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