Blake Lively's Publicist Fights Back Amid Controversial Lawsuit from Justin Baldoni!

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ representative is hoping not to be a part of Justin Baldoni‘s storyline.

Or, in another way:

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ spokesperson desires not to be involved in the narrative created by Justin Baldoni.

Following the director’s defamation lawsuit against his “It Ends With Us” co-star and her husband, who had initiated a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit against him, the publicist named in the suit as a codefendant, Leslie Sloane, moved on February 20 to have the countersuit dismissed.

In the $400 million lawsuit, Baldoni claims, as reported by TopMob News, that Sloane spread malevolent tales painting him as a sexual offender and coordinated a defamatory attack on his reputation with instructions from Lively.

In response to the lawsuit, the publicist’s lawyer claimed in a motion filed on February 20 (as reported by TopMob News) that there is no valid foundation for such allegations and that Sloane was unfairly drawn into this legal dispute as a tactical ploy to divert attention from Lively’s claims of sexual harassment and retaliation, portraying it as a smokescreen.

TopMob News has reached out to Baldoni and Sloane’s lawyers for comment and has not heard back.

Furthermore, Sloane’s legal representative contended in their motion that the publicist’s statement to a news reporter last year about the It Ends With Us cast supposedly “disliking” Baldoni, which was referenced in his lawsuit, falls under the category of an “unactionable opinion” or, as an alternative, is essentially true. As such, it can’t serve as a foundation for a defamation case.

The whispers of a disagreement between Baldoni and Lively started last summer, as people noticed that he was absent from all her appearances, including the premiere of “It Ends With Us” and other promotional events with their co-stars. What seemed like a mere personal difference escalated into a legal dispute.

In December, Lively, who had earlier lodged a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department, took legal action against Baldoni. She claimed that Baldoni, former star of “Jane the Virgin”, displayed behavior that was intrusive, unwelcome, unprofessional, and sexually inappropriate towards her and other cast and crew members. Furthermore, she accused him of retaliating against her by collaborating with a crisis PR team to tarnish her reputation.

Approximately two months following the original lawsuit, Lively made a revision to the case, asserting that she was not the only one who felt uneasy in the situation and “other women besides Ms. Lively also expressed discomfort and voiced complaints.

Via his legal representative, Baldoni refuted the accusations. In his response lawsuit, he stated that the ex-Gossip Girl actor instigated the cast to turn against him.

According to his claim, Lively allegedly persuaded the other cast members to avoid Baldoni, in a preliminary move intended to create the image that Baldoni had committed an extremely serious offense. This supposedly heinous act was so severe, that no one wanted to take pictures with him or be near him.

Baldoni has filed a lawsuit against Sloane, Lively, and Reynolds, alleging defamation, civil extortion, false light invasion of privacy, as well as accusations of interfering with potential business opportunities and other forms of misconduct.

Read on for more about Lively and Baldoni’s legal battle…

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

In the complaint obtained by TopMob News, Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, its CEO Jamey Heath, 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 listed as defendants.

Lively claimed in her complaint that Baldoni and his Wayfarer associates initiated a “sophisticated press and digital campaign” in retaliation for her expressing concerns about alleged misconduct on set, with her stating that she and other cast and crew members experienced invasive, unwelcome, unprofessional, and sexually inappropriate behavior by Baldoni and Heath.

The actress further asserted that this alleged campaign against her caused significant harm to both her personal and professional life. The accusations mentioned in the complaint include sexual harassment, retaliation, failure to investigate, prevent, 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 a report detailing an alleged counterattack smear campaign led by Baldoni and his colleagues against Lively, supported by her CRD complaint. In their article, the publication shared messages from Baldoni, his publicist Abel, crisis communications specialist Nathan, and others that were included in her complaint. The newspaper’s website also made the relevant court documents available for reading. Lively expressed to the outlet, “I hope my legal action will expose these underhanded retaliatory tactics aimed at harming those who speak against misconduct, and offer protection to others who may face similar situations.

Following the disclosure of Lively’s grievances, Bryan Freedman – lawyer for Baldoni, Wayfarer, and their representatives – forcefully denied Lively’s allegations. In a statement on The New York Times website, he stated that it was disgraceful for Lively and her representatives to make such severe and absolutely false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their representatives. This was merely another desperate attempt to improve her negative reputation, which stemmed from her own comments and actions during the film’s campaign; interviews and press activities that were publicly observed, unedited, and open to public scrutiny and opinion-forming. These allegations are baseless, outrageous, deliberately sensational, and intended to harm and perpetuate a media narrative.

Freedman also justified Wayfarer’s choice to hire a crisis manager, explaining that this was done before the movie’s marketing campaign. He further clarified that Wayfarer’s representatives didn’t take any proactive measures nor retaliated, but only responded to incoming media inquiries to ensure balanced and accurate reporting and monitored social activity. Notably absent from the selectively presented correspondence is evidence of a lack of proactive measures taken with media or otherwise; just internal planning and private communication to strategize, which is standard practice among public relations professionals.

After an article by The New York Times was published on December 21, William Morris Endeavor (WME) chose to sever ties with Baldoni. This decision was confirmed by Ari Emanuel, CEO of the agency’s parent company Endeavor, to the outlet. However, it’s important to note that WME denied Ryan Reynolds, Lively’s husband and a client they represent, played any role in their split with Baldoni as claimed by him in his subsequent lawsuit against The New York Times. In Baldoni’s filing, there is an allegation that Reynolds pressured Baldoni’s agent at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere. This claim was refuted by WME, stating that neither Reynolds nor Lively put any pressure on Baldoni’s agent to drop him as a client, and furthermore, his former representative was not even present at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere.

Following Lively’s CRD filing and a New York Times article, several prominent figures expressed their support for her allegations against Baldoni. Among them was the author of “It Ends With Us,” Hoover, who showed her backing on Instagram Stories. On December 21st, she penned a heartfelt message: “@blakelively, you have always been honest, kind, supportive, and patient since our first encounter. Thank you for being the exceptional human that you are. Never change. Never wilt.”

Actress 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 express my solidarity as she confronts those accused of plotting to tarnish her reputation.” Slate added, “Blake is a role model, a loyal friend, and a vital source of emotional support for many who know and appreciate her. What has emerged about the alleged attack on Blake is deeply troubling and menacing. I applaud my friend, admire her courage, and stand by her side.”

Moreover, Brandon Sklenar—a romantic interest for Lively’s character Lily Bloom—shared a screenshot of the complaint published on The New York Times’ website and linked to the outlet, writing: “For the sake of God, read this.”

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

Liz Plank recently announced her departure from ‘The Man Enough Podcast’, which she co-hosted with Baldoni and Heath. In a heartfelt message on Instagram, she expressed gratitude for the trust and support of listeners over the past four years and shared how much she will miss them. Although she didn’t specify the reasons behind her exit, it followed closely after Lively’s complaint against Baldoni and his associates at Wayfarer. Plank emphasized her continued commitment to the values they built together and pledged to share more about the situation in due time. She also vowed to continue supporting those who speak out against injustice and hold accountable those who stand in their way.

Previously associated publicist of Baldoni, Stephanie Jones, along with her agency Jonesworks LLC, initiated a lawsuit against Baldoni, his company Wayfarer, Abel (his current publicist), and Nathan (crisis communications specialist) in New York on December 24th. The lawsuit claims that Abel and Nathan orchestrated a clandestine plot for several months to publicly and privately discredit Jones and Jonesworks, breach contracts, and poach clients.

The lawsuit further alleges that behind Jones’ back, Abel and Nathan collaborated with Baldoni and Wayfarer to launch an aggressive smear campaign against one of Baldoni’s film co-stars. They then exploited the ensuing crisis to create a rift between Jones and Baldoni, shifting blame for the smear campaign onto Jones, who had no role in it.

According to Abel’s LinkedIn profile, she was with Jonesworks until last summer. The lawsuit contends that as their misconduct is being exposed, Abel and Nathan falsely implicate Jones and defame her reputation in the industry.

Baldoni and Wayfarer, who are no longer associated with Jonesworks, are accused of violating their contractual obligations with Jonesworks and refusing to settle this dispute privately through arbitration.

TopMob News contacted the defendants for a comment on the matter.

In a conversation with Variety, Lively’s lawyers stated on December 23rd that they acquired the texts mentioned in The New York Times article through a subpoena issued to Jonesworks. Freedman, who represents Nathan, Abel, and Baldoni along with his Wayfarer associates, further clarified to the outlet that none of his clients were served a subpoena regarding this matter. He also expressed his intention to file a lawsuit against Jones for disclosing messages from Abel’s phone to Lively’s legal team.

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, The New York Times is accused of libel, false light invasion of privacy, promissory fraud, and breach of implied-in-fact contract regarding an article about a supposed retaliatory smear campaign the plaintiffs allegedly conducted against Lively after she expressed concerns about purported misconduct on set.

The plaintiffs claim the report is false and based primarily on Lively’s CRD complaint, denying the accusations and asserting that messages cited in the article and complaint were taken out of context. The lawsuit asserts that while The New York Times claims to have reviewed these materials thoroughly, they mainly relied on Lively’s unverified narrative, lifting her account almost verbatim while ignoring evidence contradicting her claims and revealing her true motives.

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

That very same day, I decided to take a legal stand against Baldoni, Heath, Sarowitz, and others, including Wayfarer, It Ends With Us Movie LLC, Nathan, TAG, and Abel in New York. As an ardent fan, I felt compelled to speak up about the distressing experiences I endured.

Court documents, obtained by TopMob News, reveal that I am suing these defendants for a range of offenses: sexual harassment, retaliation, failure to address harassment, aiding and abetting harassment and retaliation, breach of contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and false light invasion of privacy.

The details of these allegations were initially disclosed in the CRD complaint I filed earlier that month.

In response to my lawsuit, Baldoni and his associates have countered by filing a case against The New York Times—a move that doesn’t involve me as a defendant. In light of this, my legal team has issued a statement to TopMob, clarifying that “the basis for this lawsuit is not founded on the assumption that my administrative complaint against Wayfarer and others was a deceptive tactic designed ‘not to file a lawsuit against Baldoni, Wayfarer,’ or that ‘litigation was never my ultimate goal.’ The facts presented in the federal complaint filed today by me demonstrate that this perspective on the Wayfarer lawsuit is incorrect.

In their legal action against The New York Times, Baldoni and his team have made it clear that they are not finished. According to court documents, there are other wrongdoers implicated, and this lawsuit is just the beginning. In a January 2 interview with NBC News, Baldoni’s attorney Freedman stated unequivocally that they intend to take legal action against Lively as well.

The chatter about Baldoni and Lively hasn’t ended yet. For example, some social media users have suggested that Reynolds may have teased Baldoni in his movie “Deadpool & Wolverine” through the character Nicepool.

Reynolds has not spoken out on these rumors; however, Baldoni’s lawyer Freedman expressed his thoughts. During an interview on The Megyn Kelly Show (posted to YouTube on Jan 7), he said: “To me, if your wife is sexually harassed, you don’t make light of Justin Baldoni’s situation. You don’t turn it into a joke. Instead, you take it seriously, file complaints, and follow legal procedures. What you definitely don’t do is mock the person.

In response to your lawsuit, Lively’s legal team states there have been continuous hostile actions against her since the filing. According to their statement on January 7th to TopMob News, Lively’s case against the Southern District of New York alleges severe instances of sexual harassment and retaliation, backed by factual evidence. This is not a disagreement stemming from creative differences or a he-said-she-said situation. Instead, Wayfarer and its associates are accused of engaging in unlawful, retaliatory astroturfing against Lively for standing up for herself and others on the film set. The lawsuit’s aftermath has seen more attacks against Lively since her legal action was initiated.

The lawyers emphasize that sexual harassment and retaliation are illegal in every workplace and industry. They warn against tactics often used to downplay such misconduct, such as blaming the victim or suggesting they invited or brought it upon themselves. Additionally, they point out that media statements do not serve as a defense for Lively’s claims, and they will argue her case in court.

On January 16th, Baldoni, Heath, Wayfarer, Abel (publicist), Nathan (crisis communication specialist), and It Ends With Us Movie LLC filed a lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds, Leslie Sloane (Lively’s publicist), and Sloane’s firm Vision PR in New York. The lawsuit claims that all defendants have committed civil extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy through false light. Specifically, Lively is accused of breaching the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, while she and Reynolds are also charged with intentional interference with contractual relations and economic advantage, as well as negligent interference with prospective economic advantage.

The plaintiffs deny Lively’s allegations of sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign against her. Instead, they accuse her of seizing control of It Ends With Us and working with Reynolds, Sloane, Jones, and others to harm the plaintiffs’ reputation in the press after she faced criticism for promoting the film. (Lively maintains that she marketed the movie according to Sony’s plan.)

In their lawsuit, the plaintiffs claim that defendants collaborated with The New York Times to publish a sensational news story that was both inaccurate and damaging. However, the outlet has defended its report. Regarding Blake Lively, Freedman stated in part of his response to TopMob: “Either Blake Lively was significantly misled by her team or she intentionally and knowingly distorted the truth.

A woman presents solid proof of sexual harassment and retaliation, and the abuser tries to shift blame onto the victim. This tactic is known by experts as DARVO – Deny the allegations, Attack the accuser, and Reverse the roles of Victim and Offender.

Additionally, she alleged that he reacted by counterattacking after she levied accusations against him, asserting that Baldoni is attempting to divert attention away from the fact that Lively took over creative control and estranged the cast from Mr. Baldoni. (This version tries to make the sentence more conversational and easier to understand.)

The speaker went on to say, “The proof will make clear that both the cast and others encountered unfavorable encounters with Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer. Furthermore, it will be demonstrated that Sony requested Ms. Lively to supervise their portion of the film, which they later chose for distribution and ended up being a huge hit.

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

As an ardent supporter, I’m appalled by their defense strategy when faced with sexual harassment accusations against Ms. Lively. Instead of acknowledging wrongdoing, they shift blame, stating she wanted it and it was her fault. Their reasoning for this despicable act? They point fingers at what she was wearing. In essence, while the victim battles the abuse, the abuser targets the victim. This tactic is pathetic, it doesn’t disprove the evidence presented in Ms. Lively’s complaint, and it will ultimately crumble under scrutiny.

In simpler terms, Baldoni’s lawyer disclosed hidden footage from the set of “It Ends With Us“, stating that the actions shown in the video contradict Ms. Lively’s portrayal of him.

According to Baldoni’s lawyers, the scene under discussion was intended to portray the two characters developing affection for each other and yearning to be near one another. It is evident that both actors were acting appropriately and professionally within the context of the scene, demonstrating mutual respect.

In a different wording, Lively’s legal representatives argue that the video fully supports the account given by Ms. Lively in her lawsuit, as it appears that every scene in question was spontaneously created by Mr. Baldoni without any prior consultation or agreement from Lively.

According to their statement, the video depicts Miss Lively pulling back and frequently urging the characters to simply converse. This situation is likely to resonate with any woman who has experienced uncomfortable physical advances in a professional setting, as it seems to portray Miss Lively’s unease.

In simpler terms, they wrote a letter to the judge managing their case, asking for Freedman (who leads Baldoni’s legal team) to be subjected to a restraining order that prevents him from disclosing information during the ongoing court process to prevent any inappropriate behavior.

A seven-minute audio message supposedly sent by Baldoni to Lively during the filming of “It Ends With Us” was made public. In this recording, it seems that the director discussed the movie’s rooftop scene, which Lively rewrote, and how these alterations were reportedly brought up in a meeting with Reynolds and their mutual friend Taylor Swift.

He mentioned that everyone ought to have companions as remarkable as them, not just because they’re among the world’s most inventive individuals, but also due to their collective brilliance when they work together. It’s simply astonishing,” he shared with Lively.

As a devoted admirer, in the recording, Baldoni seemed to express remorse and an apology towards the actress for my subpar response to her script. He stated, “I made a mistake. Here’s something crucial about me – I will openly acknowledge and apologize when I fall short.

Approximately a month following Lively’s legal action against Baldoni, a court hearing was scheduled for March 9, 2026.

2025-02-22 02:18

Blake Lively’s Publicist Fights Back Amid Controversial Lawsuit from Justin Baldoni!

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