Blake Lively’s legal team has issued a strong statement condemning what they describe as “more attacks” from ‘It Ends with Us‘ director Justin Baldoni and his associates.
The actress, hit headlines last week for filing a formal complaint against Baldoni, his producing partners, and publicists, on New Year’s Eve, alleging sexual harassment and a ‘smear campaign’ intended to damage her reputation, claims that Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, dismissed as “false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious.”
Subsequently, Baldoni filed a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times on December 31, accusing the publication of aiding Lively in what he called a “calculated smear campaign” through its reporting on her allegations.In a statement released on Monday, Lively’s reps told PEOPLE that her serious claims of sexual harassment are “backed by concrete facts.”
“This is not a ‘feud’ arising from ‘creative differences’ or a ‘he said/she said’ situation,” the statement read. “As alleged in Ms. Lively’s complaint, and as we will prove in litigation, Wayfarer [Studios] and its associates engaged in unlawful, retaliatory astroturfing against Ms. Lively for simply trying to protect herself and others on a film set. Their response to the lawsuit has been to launch more attacks against Ms. Lively since her filing.”
The statement went on to note that sexual harassment and retaliation are “illegal in every workplace” and added that while it is a classic tactic to ‘blame the victim’ the team shared their resolve to “continue to prosecute her claims in federal court, where the rule of law determines who prevails, not hyperbole and threats.”
This statement comes after news reports on Mirror stated that Blake claimed that the alleged ‘smear campaign’ significantly impacted her business ventures. According to a lawsuit, the alleged actions caused sales of her haircare brand, to drop by up to 78%, alongside substantial harm to her beverage brands.
The suit claims the campaign was designed to retaliate against Lively for speaking out, resulting in both personal and professional fallout. Court documents reveal that sales of her haircare brand plummeted between 56% and 78%, attributed to what Lively described as “a sudden and unexpected negative media campaign.”
Her beverage brands were similarly affected, with their social media accounts inundated with hateful comments.
She also alleged emotional toll that not only impacted her husband, but also her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their four children. The lawsuit states, “Behind closed doors she has suffered from grief, fear, trauma, and extreme anxiety.”
