Blake Lively has officially filed a lawsuit against her “It Ends With Us” co-star and director, Justin Baldoni.
The 37-year-old actress sued Baldoni, 40, on Tuesday in New York federal court, alleging sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy, and lost wages.
The allegations in the lawsuit align with those in a complaint she submitted earlier this month to the California Civil Rights Department.
Lively claims that Baldoni sexually harassed her on the set of their August film and that following a meeting to discuss his alleged behavior, he hired a crisis management team to damage her reputation.
In addition to Baldoni, Lively is also suing his crisis manager, Melissa Nathan, publicist Jennifer Abel, and Wayfarer Studios, the production company behind “It Ends With Us.”
Her attorneys stated, “Earlier today, Ms. Lively filed a federal complaint against Wayfarer Studios and others in the Southern District of New York.”
They further explained that her prior complaint to the California Civil Rights Department was in response to a retaliatory campaign launched against her for reporting sexual harassment and workplace safety issues.
They concluded, “Unfortunately, Ms. Lively’s decision to speak out has resulted in further retaliation and attacks. 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. Now, the defendants will answer for their conduct in federal court.”
Baldoni was also allegedly asked not to add more sexually charged scenes “outside the scope” of the pre-approved script.
Furthermore, he was allegedly told to stop inquiring about Lively’s “weight” and “dead father.”
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