Blake Lively Spotted Amid Justin Baldoni Legal Battle

Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and Michele Morrone recently got together in a low-key gathering, despite their ongoing dispute with Justin Baldoni.

Despite staying out of the public eye for a month amidst her ongoing legal disputes with the director of “It Ends With Us,” the actress was recently spotted in a photo shared by her co-star from “A Simple Favor 2.” In the picture, both she and Ryan are seen smiling at the camera.

“Missed you guys,” Michele wrote over the Jan. 26 Instagram story. “Love you!!”

The joyous gathering took place within mere days following the revival of the Deadpool performer on social media platforms, where he collaborated with Shark Tank guest star Matt Higgins for a discussion with students at Harvard Business School.

As I stepped into this engaging class, I was immediately struck by the sheer brilliance and charisma radiating from every corner – a veritable powerhouse of talent! The intriguing dialogue that unfolded throughout our session left me with valuable insights that have undeniably enriched my perspective.

One day prior to their visit to Cambridge college, Ryan and Blake, who are parents to James (10), Inez (8), Betty (5), and Olin (nearly 2), asked a court order to silence Justin’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, during the ongoing legal proceedings due to alleged inappropriate behavior.

The conflict between the co-stars of “It Ends With Us” started in December when Blake initiated a legal action against Justin with the California Civil Rights Department, claiming sexual harassment and retaliation. She alleged that Justin had enlisted the help of a crisis management expert to carry out a plan aimed at damaging her reputation in order to protect his own.

More than a week after the initial dispute, Blake chose to file a formal legal action against Justin and his company Wayfarer Studios. On the very same day, he also decided to sue The New York Times regarding their coverage of the initial complaint. It is worth noting that the newspaper has been making efforts to contest this lawsuit.

Approximately a month after the 37-year-old first lodged a complaint, Justin retaliated by filing a $400 million lawsuit against Blake, Ryan, and her publicist Leslie Sloane. In his most recent court documents, the actor from “Jane the Virgin” accused Blake of attempting to portray Baldoni as the villain in her real-life narrative, claiming that she fabricated stories of his harassment.

Some social media enthusiasts posited that Ryan, in his film “Deadpool & Wolverine,” crafted a satirical character resembling Justin, whom they referred to as “Nicepool.” Meanwhile, Justin’s legal representative shared their perspective on this intriguing situation.

Freedman expressed during an interview on The Megyn Kelly Show that if someone’s wife encounters sexual harassment, instead of making fun of Justin Baldoni, they should treat the situation with gravity. This means filing HR complaints, discussing it seriously, following legal procedures, and not trivializing the matter by turning it into a joke or mocking the person involved.

As a counterargument, Blake’s legal team has stated that Justin’s court submission can be seen as “just another tactic from an abuser’s guidebook.

When a woman presents solid proof of sexual harassment and retaliation, the perpetrator tries to shift blame onto the victim. This tactic is often referred to as DARVO by experts – it involves Denying the allegations, Attacking the accuser, and Reversing the roles of Victim and Offender.

What has Justin been doing throughout this tough legal dispute? The 41-year-old has been spending quality time with his wife Emily Baldoni and their children, Maiya, 9, and Maxwell, 7. Interestingly, Emily recently expressed her support for Justin on social media through a heartwarming tribute for his 41st birthday.

On January 24th, she posted on Instagram: “Happy birthday, my love,” accompanied by a picture of them kissing by the sea with their kids Maiya (9) and Maxwell (7). This man, husband, and father is worth celebrating. I’d gladly make that choice again and again.

For more about the legal battle between Blake and Justin, keep reading…

Four months following the release of the movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s book “It Ends With Us” in cinemas, Blake Lively lodged a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) against her costar Justin Baldoni and his associates on December 20th, as reported by The New York Times.

In the complaint acquired by TopMob News, Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios (Wayfarer), its CEO Jamey Heath, its cofounder Steve Sarowitz, Baldoni’s publicist Jennifer Abel, her company RWA Communications, crisis communications specialist Melissa Nathan, her company The Agency Group PR LLC (TAG), contractor Jed Wallace and his company Street Relations Inc. were named as defendants.

In the complaint, Lively alleged that Baldoni and his Wayfarer associates “launched a complex press and digital plan in retaliation” for expressing concerns about supposed misconduct on set—with her stating that she and other cast and crew members “encountered intrusive, unwelcome, unprofessional, and sexually inappropriate behavior” by Baldoni and Heath.

The actress further claimed that the alleged campaign against her caused “significant harm” to both her personal life and career. The accusations detailed in the complaint include sexual harassment; retaliation; failure to investigate, prevent, and/or remedy harassment; aiding and abetting harassment and retaliation; breach of contract; intentional infliction of emotional distress; negligence; false light invasion of privacy and interference with prospective economic advantage.

The following day, The New York Times released an article detailing a supposed counterattack smear strategy that Baldoni and his allies are said to have orchestrated against Lively, based on her CRD complaint. In the piece, the publication shared messages from Baldoni, his publicist Abel, and crisis communications expert Nathan, all of which were part of her complaint. The court documents related to this case could also be viewed on The New York Times‘s website. Speaking with the outlet, Lively stated, “I hope my legal action will uncover these underhanded retaliatory tactics aimed at harming individuals who speak out about misconduct and safeguard others who may become targets.

Following the disclosure of Lively’s grievances, Bryan Freedman – legal representative for Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their associates – forcefully denied Lively’s allegations. He stated, in a declaration on The New York Times website, that it was disgraceful for Lively and her representatives to make grave, untruthful accusations against Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their representatives. This, he suggested, was simply another desperate tactic to improve Lively’s damaged reputation, which stemmed from her own statements and actions during the film campaign; public interviews and press activities that were openly viewable and uncensored, enabling the internet community to form their own opinions. Freedman asserted these claims to be completely false, excessively sensational, and intentionally damaging, with the aim of causing harm and perpetuating a media narrative.

Furthermore, Freedman defended Wayfarer’s choice to engage a crisis manager, explaining that this decision was made prior to the movie’s promotional campaign. He later clarified that Wayfarer’s representatives did not take any proactive measures nor retaliate, but only responded to media inquiries to ensure accurate and balanced reporting and monitored social activity. What is conspicuously absent from the selectively presented correspondence, Freedman pointed out, is the evidence of no proactive steps taken with media or otherwise; merely internal strategic planning and private communication, which he noted was standard practice among public relations professionals.

As an ardent admirer, I’d rephrase it like this:

After The New York Times article was published on Dec 21st, WME, my beloved talent agency, severed ties with Baldoni. Ari Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor, the parent company, confirmed this to the outlet. However, contrary to what Baldoni later alleged in his lawsuit against The New York Times, it wasn’t Ryan Reynolds, my favorite action star and husband to Blake Lively, who was responsible for WME’s decision to part ways with Baldoni.

In his filing, Baldoni claimed that Reynolds had pressured his agent at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere. But let me clarify, this is not accurate. My agency, which also represents both Reynolds and Lively, stated in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter on Jan 1st that Baldoni’s former representative was not at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere, and there was no pressure from either Reynolds or Lively at any time for them to drop Baldoni as a client.

After Lively’s CRD filing and an article by The New York Times, several prominent personalities expressed their support for her allegations against Baldoni. For instance, Hoover, the author of ‘It Ends With Us’, posted on Instagram Stories, “Blake Lively, you have always been honest, kind, supportive, and patient since we met… Never change. Never wilt.”

Jenny Slate, who played the sister of Baldoni’s character Ryle, also voiced her support for Lively. In a statement to Today on December 23rd, she said, “As Blake Lively’s castmate and friend, I voice my support as she takes action against those reported to have planned and carried out an attack on her reputation.” She added, “I commend my friend, I admire her bravery, and I stand by her side.”

Brandon Sklenar, a love interest for Lively’s character Lily Bloom, shared the complaint published in The New York Times article on his social media and linked to the outlet with the caption, “For the love of God read this.”

Lively’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants co-stars America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, and Amber Tamblyn also expressed their solidarity, stating they stand with her.

Liz Plank recently shared on Instagram that she is no longer co-hosting “The Man Enough Podcast”. She expressed her gratitude for the trust and stories shared by listeners, and stated that she will miss them dearly. Although she did not disclose the reason for her departure, it followed closely after a complaint made against her co-hosts and their associates. Plank emphasized her commitment to the values they had established together and thanked everyone for their trust and support over the past four years. She promised to share more details soon as she processes the situation, but assured that she will continue to support those who speak out against injustice.

Stephanie Jones, Baldoni’s former publicist, and her agency, Jonesworks LLC, have sued him, his company Wayfarer, his current publicist Abel, and crisis communications specialist Nathan in New York on December 24th. The lawsuit states that Defendants Abel and Nathan secretly conspired for months to publicly and privately attack Jones and Jonesworks, breach multiple contracts, induce contractual breaches, and steal clients and business prospects. They allegedly coordinated with Baldoni and Wayfarer to launch an aggressive smear campaign against Baldoni’s film co-star, then blamed Jones for it when she had no involvement. Abel worked at Jonesworks until last summer according to her LinkedIn profile, and the lawsuit claims that she is now falsely accusing Jones as their misconduct comes to light and defaming her in the industry. The suit also alleges that Baldoni and Wayfarer, who are no longer Jonesworks clients, have breached their contractual obligations with Jonesworks and refused private arbitration to settle this dispute. TopMob News reached out to the defendants for comment.

In a statement given to Variety on December 23rd, Lively’s lawyers disclosed that they acquired the texts mentioned in The New York Times article through a subpoena issued to Jonesworks. Freedman, who represents Nathan, Abel, Baldoni, and their Wayfarer associates, further stated that none of his clients were subpoenaed regarding this matter. He also expressed his intention to take legal action against Jones for disclosing messages from Abel’s phone to Lively’s lawyers.

On December 31st, Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, Nathan, TAG, Abel, RWA Communications, Wallace and Street Relations filed a lawsuit against The New York Times. In this lawsuit, obtained by TopMob News, The New York Times is accused of libel, false light invasion of privacy, promissory fraud, and breach of implied-in-fact contract due to an article about a supposed retaliatory smear campaign the plaintiffs allegedly conducted against Lively after she voiced concerns about purported misconduct on set.

The report was deemed “false” by the plaintiffs, who claimed it was based on Lively’s CRD complaint and that messages cited in the article and complaint were taken out of context. The lawsuit states that The New York Times relied heavily on Lively’s unverified narrative, while ignoring a vast amount of evidence contradicting her claims and exposing her true motives.

The plaintiffs also allege that it was Lively, not them, who engaged in a calculated smear campaign, a claim she has denied. In response, The New York Times stated it plans to “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.” They asserted that their story was thoroughly and responsibly reported, based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails they quote accurately in the article.

On the same day, Lively initiated a legal action against Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, It Ends With Us Movie LLC, Nathan, Nathan’s company TAG, and Abel in New York. According to court documents obtained by TopMob News, she is accusing these defendants of sexual harassment, retaliation, failing to address harassment, aiding and abetting such actions, breach of contract, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, and false light invasion of privacy.

The accusations made in the lawsuit were initially outlined in the CRD complaint Lively filed earlier that month. In response to this lawsuit, Baldoni and his associates have filed a lawsuit against The New York Times—which does not name Lively as a defendant. However, her lawyers responded to TopMob by stating that “the claims in this lawsuit do not alter anything about the allegations in her CRD and federal complaints.”

They further explained that the premise of Lively’s administrative complaint against Wayfarer and others—that it was a strategy not to file a lawsuit against Baldoni, Wayfarer, and that litigation was never her ultimate goal—is false. As evidence, they pointed to the federal complaint filed by Lively earlier that day.

In their lawsuit against The New York Times, Baldoni and his team have made it clear that they are not finished with this legal battle. They believe there are other individuals who acted unjustly, and they intend to file more lawsuits as a result. During an interview with NBC News on January 2nd, Baldoni’s attorney Freedman confirmed their plans to sue Lively.

The speculation surrounding Baldoni and Lively hasn’t ended there. For example, people on social media have suggested that Reynolds may have teased Baldoni in his film “Deadpool & Wolverine” through the character Nicepool.

Reynolds has yet to address these rumors publicly; however, Baldoni’s lawyer, Freedman, has shared his thoughts. During an interview on The Megyn Kelly Show (available on YouTube as of Jan 7), Freedman stated, “In my opinion, if your wife is sexually harassed, you don’t make light of Justin Baldoni. You don’t joke about the situation. You treat it seriously. You file complaints, raise the issue, and follow due process. What you shouldn’t do is make fun of the person and turn it into a jest.

During a recent statement, Lively’s legal team explained that the ongoing lawsuit against a production company in the Southern District of New York concerns severe allegations of sexual harassment and retribution, supported by solid evidence. They clarified that this is not a petty squabble or disagreement, but rather a situation where Wayfarer and its associates have allegedly engaged in illegal retaliatory activities against Lively for standing up for herself and others on set. Since the lawsuit was filed, they have continued to attack Lively.

The lawyers emphasized that while the legal process unfolds, it is important to remember that sexual harassment and retribution are unacceptable in any professional environment or industry. They warned against common tactics used to discredit allegations of such misconduct, like blaming the victim or suggesting they provoked the behavior. They also pointed out that making statements in the media does not serve as a defense for Lively’s claims and reiterated their commitment to proving her case in court.

On January 16th, Baldoni, Heath, Wayfarer, publicist Abel, crisis communication specialist Nathan, and It Ends With Us Movie LLC filed a lawsuit against Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane (Lively’s publicist), and Sloane’s firm Vision PR in New York.

The complaint, obtained by TopMob News, alleges that all defendants are guilty of civil extortion, defamation, false light invasion of privacy, breach of good faith and fair dealing, intentional and negligent interference with contractual relations, and economic advantage.

In the suit, the plaintiffs deny Lively’s claims of sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign against her. They also accuse her of taking control of It Ends With Us and collaborating with Reynolds, Sloane, Jones, and others to harm the plaintiffs’ reputation in the media after she faced criticism for her film promotion methods (which she claims were in line with Sony’s marketing plan).

As a lifestyle expert, I’m sharing an intriguing legal dispute that has caught my attention. The plaintiffs claim in this lawsuit that the defendants colluded with The New York Times to publish a sensational report, which unfortunately turned out to be untrue. It’s important to note that The New York Times stands by their report.

In response to our queries, Freedman stated, “Blake Lively was either deceived in a significant manner by her team or deliberately presented with false information.” This statement certainly adds an interesting layer to the ongoing story.

Lively’s legal team referred to his lawsuit as “just another tactic in an abuser’s playbook,” explaining to TopMob News that it’s a familiar pattern: “A woman presents evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation, and the abuser tries to shift blame onto the victim. This tactic is often known as DARVO – Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender.

Additionally, she pointed out that he counterattacked after she leveled accusations towards him, claiming that Baldoni aims to change the storyline by suggesting that Lively took creative control and distanced the cast from Mr. Baldoni.

It went on to say, “The proof will indicate that both the cast and others encountered unfavorable encounters with Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer. Moreover, it will be demonstrated that Sony requested Ms. Lively to manage Sony’s portion of the film, which they subsequently distributed and proved to be a significant hit.

Her team went on to slam Baldoni’s reaction to her allegations of harassment.

In their defense against sexual harassment accusations, they claimed she welcomed it and was to blame. They also suggested her clothing was a factor in the incident, according to her legal team. Essentially, while the victim is dealing with the abuse, the abuser targets the victim. This strategy of blaming the woman is desperate and does not dispute the evidence presented in Ms. Lively’s complaint; it will ultimately fall short.

In a recent development, Baldoni’s lawyer disclosed previously unseen footage from the set of “It Ends With Us“. They stated that the actor’s behavior in this footage contradicts Ms. Lively’s portrayal of him.

According to Baldoni’s lawyers, the specific scene aimed to depict the blossoming romance between the two characters, their desire for proximity, and longing to be near each other. It is evident that both actors portrayed their roles in a fitting manner, maintaining respect and professionalism throughout.

Nonetheless, Lively’s lawyers argue that the video directly supports her account as stated in the lawsuit, and it appears that every scene was spontaneously created by Mr. Baldoni without any prior discussion or approval.

The video depicts Ms. Lively leaning back and persistently requesting that the characters simply converse, as reported to TopMob News in a statement. A sense of unease similar to that exhibited by Ms. Lively is likely to be relatable for any woman who has experienced workplace harassment.

In simpler terms, they wrote a letter to the judge managing their case, asking for Freedman (Baldoni’s lawyer) to be silenced by a court order during the trial, to prevent any inappropriate behavior.

2025-01-27 22:26

Read More