Blake Lively sues Justin Baldoni for causing 'severe emotional distress'
What's the story
Hollywood actor Blake Lively has sued her It Ends with Us co-star and director, Justin Baldoni, for the second time. The 37-year-old actor claims that Baldoni caused her "severe emotional distress and pain, humiliation, embarrassment, belittlement, frustration, and mental anguish" apart from lost wages. Earlier, Lively filed a legal complaint against Baldoni, alleging sexual harassment and a calculated PR campaign to tarnish her reputation.
Legal battle
Lively seeks punitive damages; accuses studio of retaliation
Lively is seeking punitive damages, the amount of which will be determined at trial. Her lawyers released a statement saying, "Earlier today, Ms. Lively filed a federal complaint against Wayfarer Studios and others in the Southern District of New York." "Unfortunately, Ms. Lively's decision to speak out has resulted in further retaliation...As alleged in her federal complaint, Wayfarer, and its associates have violated federal and California state law by retaliating against her for reporting sexual harassment and workplace safety concerns."
Lively's statement
'I hope that my legal action helps pull back curtain...'
In a statement on December 21 to the New York Post, 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." This came after her first lawsuit against Baldoni, his crisis managers Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, and Wayfarer Studios in December.
Initial allegations
Lively's first lawsuit detailed sexual harassment, smear campaign
In her first lawsuit, Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and orchestrating a "coordinated smear campaign" to tarnish her reputation. She also claimed the hostile work environment on the set of It Ends with Us led to an emergency meeting. During this meeting, Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds reportedly made several demands including no more showing of nude videos or images of women to Lively, no further mention of Baldoni's alleged previous 'pornography addiction,' among others.
Counterclaim
Baldoni's lawyer refuted allegations, accused Lively of threats
Earlier, Bryan Freedman, Baldoni's lawyer, had dismissed the allegations in Lively's California lawsuit. He said it was "shameful" for Lively and her representatives to make such serious and categorically false accusations against Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios. Freedman also claimed that Lively had made multiple demands and threats including threatening to not show up on set or promote the film if her demands were not met.