“It Ends With Us” co stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are locked in a legal battle that doesn’t appear to be wrapping up anytime soon. After months of speculation of on-set drama from fans, Lively shocked the internet with a lawsuit filed against Baldoni, his company Wayfarer Studios and others in New York Dec. 31. Lively alleged she “and other cast and crew experienced invasive, unwelcome, unprofessional and sexually inappropriate behavior” by him and his company’s CEO/producer Jamey Heath (who is also listed as a defendant in both filings) on the set of “It Ends With Us”.
A California Civil Rights Department complaint was submitted by Lively earlier that month and she stated in the filings that she “attempted to address and resolve the problems on set” before returning to production and that her attorneys sent Wayfarer’s lawyer a “Protections for Return to Production” document in November 2023. According to her filings, a meeting attended by Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, Baldoni, Heath, other producers and a representative for the film’s distributor Sony Pictures took place in New York on Jan. 4, 2024 to “address the hostile work environment that nearly derailed production of the Film.”
After discussing “at length the details of concerns that had been expressed by Ms. Lively and others,” her filings state, “the parties agreed to implement and follow the Protections for Return to Production to ensure that the Film could be completed, marketed, and released safely and successfully.”
Lively alleged in her complaint that Baldoni and his Wayfarer associates “embarked on a sophisticated press and digital plan in retaliation” for her voicing her concerns about purported misconduct on set—with her saying she and other cast and crew members “experienced invasive, unwelcome, unprofessional and sexually inappropriate behavior” by Baldoni and Heath. The actress added the alleged campaign against her caused “substantial harm” to her personally and professionally.
The accusations listed in the complaint include sexual harassment; retaliation; failure to investigate, prevent and/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.
In a libel lawsuit Baldoni filed against The New York Times Dec. 31 for its Dec. 21 article about an alleged retaliatory smear campaign the plaintiffs purportedly orchestrated against Lively—with the article citing her CRD complaint—they accused her of embarking on a “hostile takeover of the production.” “Lively waged war on Baldoni, weaponizing innocuous interactions from May and June 2023—long before there was any tension between them—to vilify and discredit him,” the lawsuit adds.
The New York Times published a report about a retaliatory smear campaign Baldoni and his associates allegedly waged against Lively—citing her CRD complaint. In its article, the outlet quoted messages sent from Baldoni and his team—including publicist Abel and crisis communications specialist Nathan—that were part of her complaint. Readers could also scroll through the court documents on The New York Times’ website. CNN reports that Talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME) dropped Baldoni after The New York Times’ article was published on Dec. 21.
The lawsuit also says Wayfarer “promptly agreed to her terms” in the Protections for Return to Production document “despite disagreeing with the insinuations underlying them”—adding that some terms were already in place. “Neither Wayfarer, Heath, nor Baldoni had engaged in any of the behavior alluded to in the Return to Production document, nor did they plan to,” the lawsuit reads. “They thought that was the end of it, and they were ready to move ahead and make a great film.”
In The New York Times lawsuit, the plaintiffs alleged Baldoni, Heath, other producers and the Sony representative went to Lively and Reynolds’ New York penthouse Jan. 4 to discuss resuming filming the next day. “Instead, they were blindsided by Lively and Reynolds, who presented a list of grievances that were both anticipated and troubling,” the lawsuit adds. “Reynolds launched into a tirade, berating Baldoni in what Baldoni later described as a ‘traumatic’ encounter, stating he had ‘never been spoken to like that in his life.'”
