Blake Lively files official federal lawsuit against Justin Baldoni and looks forward to her day in court

Blake Lively officially filed a lawsuit Tuesday against her “It Ends With Us” co-star Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment and retaliation, according to documents obtained by Fox News Digital.

Lively, 37, initially filed a complaint against Baldoni with the California Department of Civil Rights on Dec. 21, accusing Baldoni (who also directed the film) of sexual harassment while working on the drama.

He also claimed that after voicing his concerns, he, along with a crisis public relations team, orchestrated a retaliation campaign aimed at ruining his career.

JUSTIN BALDONI CALLS BLAKE LIVELY’S CLAIMS ‘FALSE AND DESTRUCTIVE,’ ATTORNEY SAYS NEW LAWSUIT WILL EXPOSE THE TRUTH

Blake Lively accused Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment in a federal lawsuit filed on Tuesday, December 31. (Getty Images)

Lively’s federal lawsuit was released Tuesday shortly after Baldoni filed his own. $250 million defamation lawsuit against the New York Times, which, according to him, published an article “riddled with inaccuracies, misrepresentations and omissions.”

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“Nothing in this lawsuit changes anything about the claims raised in Ms. Lively’s California Department of Civil Rights complaint, nor her federal complaint, filed today,” Lively’s representatives told Fox News Digital.

Lively filed a complaint against Baldoni in December after rumors of a fight on the set of “It Ends With Us.” (Getty Images)

“This lawsuit is based on the obviously false premise that Ms. Lively’s administrative complaint against Wayfarer and others was a ruse based on an option ‘not to file suit against Baldoni, Wayfarer,’ and that ‘the litigation was never their ultimate goal.’ As Ms. Lively’s federal complaint filed today demonstrates, that framework for Wayfarer’s lawsuit is false. While we will not litigate this matter in the press, we encourage people to read Wayfarer’s complaint. Mrs. “Lively in its entirety. We look forward to addressing any and all of Wayfarer’s allegations in court.”

He Actress of “The Brotherhood of the Traveling Pants” alleged in her federal filing that Baldoni, film production company Wayfarer Studios and a handful of associates were involved in a “carefully crafted, coordinated and resourced retaliation plan to silence her and others from speaking.”

Lively claimed that Baldoni, along with a crisis PR firm, put together a “multi-level plan” to ruin her reputation after she (along with husband Ryan Reynolds) addressed “repeated sexual harassment and other behaviors.” “disturbing” by Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath (who is named in the lawsuit).

Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively seen on the set of ‘It Ends with Us’ on January 12, 2024 (José Pérez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

She also alleged that Baldoni and Heath “discussed their personal sexual experiences and prior addiction to pornography” on set, according to the documents.

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Representatives for Baldoni did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. He previously told the Times that Lively’s initial claims were “completely false, outrageous and intentionally lewd with the intent to publicly hurt and repeat a narrative in the media.”

Baldoni filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against the New York Times after it published an article titled “We Can Bury Anyone: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine,” which reported that private emails and text messages show a “manual for performing largely undetectable defamation.” campaign in the digital age” about Lively.

However, Baldoni and other plaintiffs, including Hollywood public relations gurus, claim that the Times article “deliberately omitted portions of text exchanges and other information that contradicted the actress’s version of events.” They claim the Times defamed them in the process, leaving out the critical context of communications that dispute many of Lively’s claims.

Baldoni not only starred in the film adaptation of the novel, but also directed the film. (Getty Images)

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“The central thesis of the article, summarized in a defamatory headline designed to immediately mislead the reader, is that the plaintiffs orchestrated a retaliatory public relations campaign against Lively for speaking openly about sexual harassment, a premise that is categorically false and easily refuted “, stated the 87-page, which was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court by attorney Bryan Freedman, stated.

freedman told variety that the Times “cowered to the desires and whims of two powerful ‘untouchable’ Hollywood elites, ignoring the journalistic practices and ethics that once belonged to the revered publication by using manipulated and doctored texts and intentionally omitting texts that question the narrative of elected public relations.

“The role of an independent news organization is to follow the facts where they lead. Our story was reported meticulously and responsibly. It was based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails we cited accurately and in detail in the article,” said Times spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades Ha. Fox News Digital.

“We have published your full statement “In response to the accusations in the article as well,” he continued. “We plan to vigorously defend against the lawsuit.”

Fox News Digital’s Brian Flood contributed to this report.

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