S Poddar
Justin Baldoni has taken his ongoing legal tussle with Blake Lively to the next level by launching a site that tells his side of the controversy regarding the film It Ends With Us.
The website, published on Saturday, features Baldoni’s amended complaint alongside a detailed timeline of events related to the case. It serves as a platform for his legal arguments and includes court documents, text message exchanges, and other materials that he claims support his position.
The dispute between the two actors, who played a couple in the film, has intensified since Lively, 37, filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, 41, in December. She accused him of sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign against her. In response, Baldoni has countersued Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, alleging civil extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy. Both parties have denied the allegations against them, and the legal battle continues to unfold, with a trial date set for a hearing.
Baldoni has also filed a defamation suit against The New York Times, charging the newspaper with libel. He contends in the lawsuit that Lively made the newspaper an early copy of her civil rights complaint, though the newspaper vigorously denies that. The newspaper called the legal filings by Baldoni “replete with falsehoods,” mainly how his complaint declares that the newspaper was granted advance access to Lively’s complaint. They dismissed the claim as based on misinformation spread by amateur internet sleuths.
The newly launched website, Lawsuit Info, contains two main legal documents: Baldoni’s most recent filings against Lively and Reynolds as well as a 168-page document referred to as the Timeline of Relevant Events. The latter is a chronology of key developments in the case, including alleged text message exchanges between Baldoni and Lively. According to Baldoni’s lawyers, this document provided them with fresh evidence that strengthened his case.
His attorney, Bryan Freedman, said that the lawsuit was amended due to the emergence of “overwhelming” new proof, which he claims confirms their suspicions from the beginning. “Due to purely egotistical reasons, Ms. Lively and her entire team colluded for months to destroy reputations through a complex web of lies, false accusations, and the manipulation of illicitly received communications,” Freedman asserted.
BBC News reached out to Lively’s representatives for a response, but they have yet to comment on Baldoni’s latest move.
The feud took another turn last month when Baldoni released outtakes from a romantic scene in It Ends With Us, arguing that the footage contradicts Lively’s claims of harassment. The clips show the two actors performing a slow dance, which Baldoni says proves her allegations are baseless. However, Lively responded by stating that the footage actually supports her accusations rather than disproving them.
Based on the best-seller novel by Colleen Hoover, It Ends With Us went viral on TikTok last summer after its release. The film follows Lively’s character as she navigates a relationship with a charming yet abusive boyfriend played by Baldoni. The book author, Hoover, shared once that her inspiration for the story came from the fact that her mother had endured domestic abuse.
As the court battle continues, Baldoni and Lively remain stuck in an infamous courtroom fight that has captivated fans and industry insiders. The public spat between the two Hollywood stars is not likely to come to a head anytime soon.
