Blake Lively sues It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment, conducting smear campaign

Actress Blake Lively has filed a lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment and running a smear campaign against her, Variety reported. In the complaint, the Gossip Girl star claimed that Baldoni tried to launch a defamation campaign against her and that his behaviour caused her and her family “severe emotional harm”. The lawsuit comes after a tumultuous press tour for the film where Baldoni was not in attendance with the rest of the cast and many accused Lively of taking a far too lighthearted approach while promoting a movie about domestic violence. Social media users claimed that Baldoni was shunned from film promotions for not seeing eye to eye with Lively, and was the only cast member actually raising awareness about domestic violence.

In the complaint, Lively alleged that Baldoni and Jamey Heath, one of the film’s producers, engaged in unprofessional behaviour, including describing “their past sexual relationships”. Lively also claimed that Baldoni said he could talk to the dead, including her father, Ernie Lively, who passed away in 2021. “It was off putting and violative for Mr Baldoni to claim a personal relationship with her recently deceased father,” the complaint stated.

In a statement to The New York Times, Lively said: “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.”

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