Justin Baldoni's Wife Breaks Silence Amid Blake Lively Lawsuit

Emily Baldoni is standing by her man.

Justin Baldoni’s spouse recently paid a heartfelt tribute to him on his 41st birthday, which represents her first public statement about her husband since the legal dispute with Blake Lively emerged in December, following Lively’s lawsuit against him for alleged sexual harassment and retaliation. The two had collaborated as director and costar in the movie “It Ends With Us”.

Emily posted on Instagram, “Happy birthday to my dear one,” accompanied by a picture of them both by the sea with their kids, Maiya (9) and Maxwell (7). “Celebrating the man, partner, and father that you are. I’d make the same choice over and over again.

Emily posted about it a few days following the sighting of the family, which included the couple and their kids, departing from LAX, Los Angeles. Later on, TMZ captured Justin expressing his gratitude to be with his family, as he was overheard saying. Subsequently, images emerged of him carrying a surfboard in Hawaii.

In her lawsuit against him, filed swiftly after she made a similar claim against Justin with the California Civil Rights Department regarding the movie “It Ends With Us,” the actress claims that she, along with other cast and crew members, encountered intrusive, unwanted, unsuitable, and sexually inappropriate conduct by the director while working on the 2024 film set.

According to the former Gossip Girl star’s court documents, which TopMob News has acquired, she claims Justin subsequently attempted to harm her public image by collaborating with a crisis management PR team.

Via his legal representative, Justin has refuted Blake’s claims. A week ago, the ex-star of “Jane the Virgin” filed a $400 million lawsuit not only against the actress but also her husband Ryan Reynolds, accusing them of extortion, defamation, and other misconduct. He asserted that it was Lively and her team who strategically orchestrated and carried out an malicious smear campaign against him.

To TopMob News, Blake’s lawyers described Justin’s lawsuit as “yet another tactic from the abuser handbook” and a strategic move aimed at “confusing the public into believing their actions are retribution for accusations of sexual harassment.

Read on for more about Blake and Justin’s legal battle…

Four months following the cinema release of Colleen Hoover’s book “It Ends With Us,” Blake Lively submitted a complaint to the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) against her co-star Justin Baldoni and his associates on December 20th, as reported by The New York Times.

The complaint, obtained by TopMob News, named Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios (Wayfarer), 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. as defendants.

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

The actress further stated that this alleged campaign against her caused “substantial harm” to her both personally and professionally.

The charges listed 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 an article detailing a suspected counterattack smear operation that Baldoni and his allies were accused of conducting against Lively – corroborating her CRD complaint. In their report, the publication shared messages exchanged between Baldoni, Abel (his publicist), Nathan (crisis communications specialist), and others, which were included in her complaint. The article also provided access to the related court documents on the The New York Times‘ official website. Lively expressed her hope that her legal action would expose such underhanded retaliatory strategies used to discredit individuals speaking out against misconduct, and safeguard others potentially targeted in a similar manner.

Following the disclosure of Lively’s complaint, attorney Bryan Freedman – who represents Baldoni, Wayfarer, and their representatives – forcefully refuted Lively’s accusations. In a statement published on The New York Times website, he stated that it was regrettable for Lively and her team to make such severe and wholly untrue allegations against Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their representatives. This was just another desperate attempt to improve her tarnished reputation, which was earned through her own remarks and actions during the film campaign; interviews and press activities that were visible in real-time and uncensored, allowing the internet to form its own opinions and views. He further declared these claims to be entirely false, excessively sensationalized, and deliberately salacious with the intention of causing harm and perpetuating a narrative in the media.

Freedman also defended Wayfarer’s choice to engage a crisis manager, asserting that this was done before the promotion of the movie started.

He later explained that Wayfarer Studios’ representatives did not 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 proof that there were no proactive measures taken with the media or otherwise; only internal strategic planning and private communication, which is standard practice among public relations professionals.

After an article in The New York Times published on December 21st, talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME) chose to end their relationship with Baldoni. This decision was confirmed by Ari Emanuel, CEO of the agency’s parent company Endeavor, to the outlet. However, it is important to note that WME has denied any involvement from Ryan Reynolds, Lively’s husband, in their decision to part ways with Baldoni. This allegation was later made by Baldoni in a lawsuit filed against The New York Times (more details on this below). In response to the claims made by Baldoni, WME—which also represents Reynolds and Lively—stated that they are not true. The former representative of Baldoni was not present at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere, and there was no pressure from Reynolds or Lively at any time for them to drop Baldoni as a client.

After Lively’s CRD filing and an article in The New York Times, several notable individuals voiced their support for her allegations against Baldoni. Among them was the author of “It Ends With Us,” Hoover, who expressed her backing on Instagram Stories.

On December 21st, Jenny Slate, who portrayed Baldoni’s character Ryle’s sister, publicly declared her solidarity with Lively. In a statement to Today on the 23rd, she said: “As Blake Lively’s castmate and friend, I express my support as she confronts those accused of plotting and executing an attack on her reputation.” She added that Lively is a reliable friend and source of emotional support for many.

Slate continued by stating the revelations about the alleged attack on Lively are deeply troubling. She expressed admiration for Lively’s bravery and stated her unwavering support for her friend.

Brandon Sklenar, who played a love interest for Lively’s character Lily Bloom, shared a link to The New York Times article and the complaint, urging people to read it. Lastly, Lively’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants co-stars America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, and Amber Tamblyn announced their solidarity with her.

Liz Plank recently shared on Instagram that she is no longer co-hosting “The Man Enough Podcast”. She expressed gratitude for the trust and stories shared by listeners, acknowledging that the community created together was something she deeply cherished. Although she did not specify a reason for her departure, it occurred shortly after a complaint made against her co-hosts, Blake Anderson and his associates at Wayfarer. Plank emphasized her continued commitment to the values they had built together and thanked everyone who had supported her over the past four years. She hinted that she would share more about the situation soon as she works through it, but in the meantime, she will continue to support those who speak out against injustice and hold accountable those who obstruct them.

In a lawsuit filed in New York on Christmas Eve, Stephanie Jones, Baldoni’s former publicist, and her agency Jonesworks LLC accused Baldoni, his company Wayfarer, his current publicist Abel, crisis communications specialist Nathan, and others of secretly conspiring against them for months. The lawsuit claims that Abel and Nathan orchestrated a smear campaign against Jones, breached contracts, and attempted to steal clients and business prospects.

According to the lawsuit, Abel and Nathan worked behind Jones’s back with Baldoni and Wayfarer to launch a media attack against one of Baldoni’s film co-stars. They then used this crisis as an opportunity to create tension between Jones and Baldoni, falsely blaming Jones for the smear campaign when she had no involvement in it.

Abel worked at Jonesworks until last summer, according to her LinkedIn profile. The lawsuit alleges that Abel and Nathan are now trying to shift blame onto Jones as their own misconduct is exposed, defaming and attacking her in the industry.

Baldoni and Wayfarer, who are no longer Jonesworks clients, are accused of breaching their contractual obligations with Jonesworks and refusing to settle the dispute privately through arbitration.

TopMob News reached out to the defendants for comment.

According to a report published by Variety on December 23rd, Lively’s legal team stated they acquired the texts mentioned in The New York Times article through a subpoena issued to Jonesworks, not directly to any of their clients. Freedman, who represents Nathan, Abel, Baldoni, and Wayfarer associates, further clarified 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 attorneys without proper authorization.

31st December saw a lawsuit filed by Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, Nathan, TAG, Abel, RWA Communications, Wallace, and Street Relations against The New York Times. In this lawsuit, they accuse The New York Times 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 misconduct on set.

The lawsuit obtained by TopMob News claims that The New York Times’ report was false and based solely on Lively’s complaint, while disregarding evidence contradicting her claims. The plaintiffs deny the accusations and claim messages cited in the article and complaint were taken out of context. They allege The New York Times relied heavily on Lively’s narrative without verifying its accuracy.

The lawsuit also alleges that it was Lively, not the plaintiffs, who engaged in a calculated smear campaign, an allegation she has denied. In response, The New York Times plans to “vigorously defend against the lawsuit,” stating that their story was meticulously and responsibly reported based on a thorough review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails they accurately quoted in the article.

On that very day, Lively initiated a legal action against Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, It Ends With Us Movie LLC, Nathan, his company TAG, and Abel in New York. As per court documents acquired by TopMob News, she is accusing the 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 detailed in this lawsuit were initially outlined in the CRD complaint she filed earlier that month. In response to the lawsuit Baldoni and his associates filed against The New York Times (who are not listed as defendants), her legal team stated to TopMob News that “the allegations in this lawsuit do not alter the claims made in her CRD and federal complaints.”

“The premise of this lawsuit—that Lively’s administrative complaint against Wayfarer and others was a ploy to avoid suing Baldoni, Wayfarer, and that litigation was never her ultimate goal—is false,” they added. “As shown by the federal complaint filed by Lively today, this perspective on the Wayfarer lawsuit is inaccurate.

In their lawsuit against The New York Times, Baldoni and his team have indicated that they still intend to pursue action, suggesting there are more parties involved who have acted unjustly. During a January 2 interview with NBC News, Baldoni’s attorney Freedman confirmed that legal action against Lively is indeed part of their plans.

The speculation surrounding Baldoni and Lively hasn’t ended there. For example, some social media users believe that Reynolds made fun of Baldoni in his film “Deadpool & Wolverine” through the character Nicepool.

Reynolds has not spoken publicly about these rumors; however, Baldoni’s lawyer Freedman shared his thoughts on the matter. During an interview on “The Megyn Kelly Show,” posted to YouTube on January 7, Freedman stated:

“In my opinion, if your wife is sexually harassed, you don’t mock Justin Baldoni by making a joke out of it as Ryan Reynolds did in his movie. You should take the situation very seriously, file HR complaints, raise the issue, and follow a legal process. What you shouldn’t do is make light of the person or the incident.

During the ongoing legal proceedings in the Southern District of New York, Lively’s lawyers have stated that the situation is not a simple disagreement or he-said-she-said matter, as previously suggested. Instead, it involves substantial allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation, supported by solid evidence. According to their statement on January 7th to TopMob News, the defendants have been engaging in unlawful, retaliatory actions against Lively because she stood up for herself and others on a film set. Since the filing of the lawsuit, they claim these actions have escalated further.

The lawyers emphasized that everyone should remember that sexual harassment and retaliation are illegal in all workplaces and industries. They warned against common tactics used to discredit such allegations, such as blaming the victim or suggesting that the offender is actually the victim. These tactics, they stated, serve only to minimize and trivialize serious misconduct claims. They also clarified that media statements do not serve as a defense to Lively’s accusations, and they will present their evidence in court.

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

The plaintiffs deny Lively’s claims of sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign against her. They further accuse Lively of taking control of It Ends With Us and collaborating with Reynolds, Sloane, Jones, and others to damage the reputation of the plaintiffs in the media after receiving criticism for promoting the film. (Lively stated in her filings that she promoted the movie according to Sony’s marketing plan.)

In the lawsuit, plaintiffs claim that defendants collaborated with The New York Times to release a sensational yet false news article. The outlet maintains its report is accurate.

In response to TopMob, Freedman stated, “Blake Lively was either significantly deceived by her team or deliberately misled the truth.

As a fervent admirer, I can’t help but share my perspective on a recent development: The term “another chapter in the abuser playbook” used by Lively’s legal team to describe their lawsuit caught my attention. In essence, they claim it’s an old, unfortunate script that unfolds like this: A woman bravely presents solid evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation, only for the alleged offender to counterattack. This tactic, according to experts, is often referred to as DARVO – Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim Offender.

She also claimed that he reacted negatively after she levied accusations against him, asserting that Baldoni is attempting to divert attention from the fact that Lively took creative control and reportedly estranged the cast from Mr. Baldoni. (In a more natural and easy-to-read manner)

It was further stated, “The proof will reveal that both the cast and others encountered unpleasant encounters with Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer. Additionally, the evidence will demonstrate that Sony requested Ms. Lively to supervise their portion of the film. This selection turned out to be a hit, ultimately making it successful in distribution.

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

Regarding sexual harassment accusations, they blamed her for wanting it and held her responsible. According to them, this incident was due to what she was wearing, their lawyers mentioned. In essence, while the victim is focusing on the mistreatment, the offender is concentrating on the victim. This tactic of blaming the woman is desperate, it does not discredit the evidence presented in Ms. Lively’s complaint, and it will ultimately fall short.

Behind closed doors, Baldoni’s lawyer shared unseen footage from the set of “It Ends With Us“, asserting that the portrayal of Baldoni by Ms. Lively was contradicted by the actor’s actions in the video.

In their statement, Baldoni’s lawyers explained that the particular scene was intended to portray the two characters developing feelings for each other and yearning to be near one another. Both actors were depicted acting appropriately within the context of the scene, demonstrating respect and professionalism towards each other.

Nevertheless, Lively’s legal representatives argue that the video aligns precisely with what Ms. Livery stated in her lawsuit, and they claim that each scene was spontaneously created by Mr. Baldoni without prior consultation or approval.

The video depicts Miss Lively pulling back and frequently urging the characters to merely converse, as stated to TopMob News. Any female who has experienced unwanted touching in a professional setting can relate to Miss Lively’s unease.

In simpler terms, they wrote a letter to the presiding judge during their trial, asking him to restrict Freedman, who leads Baldoni’s lawyers, from speaking publicly about the case to prevent any inappropriate behavior.

2025-01-25 21:20

Justin Baldoni’s Wife Breaks Silence Amid Blake Lively Lawsuit

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