Justin Baldoni has initiated a lawsuit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, accusing them of civil extortion and defamation, among other allegations.
He is also suing Lively and Reynolds’ publicist, Leslie Sloane, along with Sloane’s PR firm, Vision PR, Inc., over the ongoing behind-the-scenes drama related to last year’s film, It Ends With Us.
According to People, on Thursday, January 16, Baldoni’s attorneys filed a $400 million lawsuit in the Southern District of New York.
The lawsuit is on behalf of Baldoni, producer Jamey Heath, publicist Jennifer Abel, and crisis publicist Melissa Nathan, claiming that Lively took steps to take control of the film.
Baldoni’s lawsuit includes a wide array of claims, such as civil extortion, defamation, false light invasion of privacy, and breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.
It also cites intentional interference with contractual relations, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage, and negligent interference with prospective economic advantage.
Lively has already filed a lawsuit against Baldoni and his associates, accusing them of sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign orchestrated by Baldoni.
Baldoni’s recent lawsuit comes after he filed a libel suit against The New York Times on December 31, regarding its article titled “‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.”
This lawsuit claims that The Times utilized “cherry-picked” and altered communications, devoid of context, to fabricate a misleading narrative about Lively’s allegations.
In response, The New York Times defended its reporting, stating that the article was “meticulously and responsibly reported.”
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