Justin Baldoni’s attorney announced plans to sue Blake Lively following her federal sexual harassment complaint on Tuesday, December 31.
Blake Lively filed a complaint against Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment on the set of their film “Never Again” late last year. In response, his former co-star and director intends to sue, according to his lawyer Bryan Freedman.
“We plan to publish all text messages between them. We want the truth to be known. We want the documents to be known. We want people to be able to form an opinion based on the evidence,” he declared in an interview with NBC on Thursday, January 2.
As a reminder, Blake Lively accused Justin Baldoni of sexually harassing her and creating a toxic work environment during the filming of their film “Never Again” to the California Civil Rights Commission on December 20. In addition, he allegedly orchestrated a smear campaign against him with the help of his publicist Jennifer Abel and crisis management specialist Melissa Nathan, who had previously collaborated with Johnny Depp.
Complaint versus complaint
After this first legal action, the actress filed a second, more formal complaint on New Year’s Eve, doubling down on her accusations in federal court in New York. Blake Lively notably requested “punitive damages”, as well as financial compensation for loss of income, moral harm and emotional distress, the amount of which will be determined at trial.
His filing coincides with that of Justin Baldoni and nine other plaintiffs against the New York Times on Tuesday, December 31 for defamation and invasion of privacy following an article on the first complaint. In particular, they are demanding 250 million dollars daily.
“In this vicious smear campaign entirely orchestrated by Blake Lively and her team, the New York Times has pandered to the desires and whims of two powerful, “untouchable” Hollywood elites, flouting the journalistic practices and ethics of the past. worthy of the venerable publication by using doctored and manipulated text and intentionally omitting text that contradicts their chosen public relations narrative,” said Bryan Freedman in a press release.
Since the revelation of this affair, Justin Baldoni’s career has suffered a major blow. His agency William Morris Endeavor parted ways with him, while Liz Plank, co-host of his podcast “Man Enough,” announced her departure. Co-stars of the film, Brandon Sklenar and Jenny Slate, as well as Colleen Hoover, the author of the original novel, expressed their support for Blake Lively.
