Justin Baldoni he was dumped from his agencyWME. The decision, taken on Saturday morning by the management company's top management, is partly linked to the complaint for sexual harassment and retaliation presented last Friday by Blake Livelyco-star and fellow producer of It Ends With Us, a film directed and produced by Baldoni.
The film, produced by Wayfarer Studios, is an adaptation of the book by Colleen Hoover and addresses the topic of domestic violence. At the moment, the agency has not responded to requests for comment sent by the newspaper Deadline.
Blake Lively's accusations
Last Friday, Blake Lively has filed a lawsuit against Baldoni. The actress filed a complaint with the California Department of Civil Rights, asserting 10 claims against Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and others involved in the film. The allegations include sexual harassment and a coordinated attempt to destroy his public image.
In detail, Lively reports a “hostile work environment”, which would have even put the production of the film at risk. Furthermore, the actress spoke about an “Astroturfing” campaign launched against her by Baldoni and his company, especially after the film's release.
The complaint also reports incidents specific events that happened on setincluding discussions between Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath regarding alleged “pornography addictions“, as well as other conversations that included “personal experiences with sex” and inappropriate comments, including descriptions of one's genitals and physical touching. Among the allegations, Lively also references the dissemination of videos and images of naked women on set, including those of Heath's wife.
The actress also accuses Baldoni of making inappropriate requests of her coach, asking him to reveal Lively's weight, and of adding sex scenes and explicit sexual acts to the script, without his consent.
Baldoni responded through his lawyer, who called the allegations “shameful” and “categorically false”. According to the defense, the statements by Lively and her representatives are an attempt to “remedy” the negative reputation of the actress, which was allegedly caused by her own statements during the promotion of the film.
