Blake Lively will most likely head to trial after she filed an 80-page sexual harassment lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star, Justin Baldoni. With legal experts weighing in on the situation, most seem to think that the case might soon reach the court if a mediation solution isn’t worked out between Lively and Baldoni.
For those unaware, the 40-year-old actor and director has been accused of sexually harassing Blake Lively on the sets of the film It Ends With Us. Furthermore, he allegedly added explicit scenes in the movie without Lively’s consent, including an orgasm scene, which she found unnecessary
However, Baldoni isn’t the only one accused of misconduct in the lawsuit, as other members of the production team are being alleged of co-conspiring with him in a public smear campaign against Lively to destroy her reputation. The lawsuit includes claims of several campaigns and professional misconduct, with texts, emails, and internal documents attached to it. Justin Baldoni is also being accused of using his PR team to create grassroots criticism against her.
That isn’t all, though. Lively has accused Baldoni of intending to ruin the image and reputation of two other A-listers, namely Hailey Bieber and Taylor Swift.
She claims that he had once shared a screenshot of an article that read, ‘Hailey Bieber’s History of Bullying Women,’ and that he conspired to stir up controversies related to Bieber. Further accusations include Baldoni having sent out e-mails, urging stories to be planted about Taylor Swift “weaponizing feminism.”
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Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, in a statement to PEOPLE on December 21, commented that Blake Lively’s complaint was to “fix her negative reputation.” He added that her allegations are “false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt” Baldoni. Freedman went on to allege that Lively caused issues during the shooting of the film, “threatening to not show up to set, threatening to not promote the film, (and) ultimately leading to its demise during release.”
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Speaking to The New York Times, Lively said, “I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted.” She has filed her complaint with the California Civil Rights Department, which has 60 days to decide whether or not to investigate the case.
Speaking to PEOPLE about the situation, legal expert Gregory Doll opined that they could “try to mediate a solution with the employer (Baldoni)” and Wayfarer Studios, as Lively is also suing the studios. Doll further explained that “if a settlement can’t be reached, they’ll dismiss and give (Lively) what’s called the right to sue letter.” He added that it “means that she can go to court now and submit her claim there.” “The most likely cases that don’t (settle) are the ones like these where it gets intensely personal between two people,” he told PEOPLE.