Blake Lively sues It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment - his lawyer refutes allegation

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Blake Lively is suing her It Ends with Us co-star Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment, but his lawyer has said the allegations are “false”.

It comes months after fans started speculating there was tension between the Lively and Baldoni after noticing the pair weren’t photographed together at the New York premiere of the film this summer. They play the main love-interests in the film but didn’t do any press together.

Not only that, but then fans spotted Lively also unfollowed Baldoni, who was also a director for It Ends With Us, on social media. There were also been rumours of on set clashes and allegations of fat shaming.

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The actress, aged 37, said in the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, that 40-year-old Baldoni's alleged behaviour caused her "severe emotional distress." A lawyer for Baldoni said the allegations are "false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt".

The lawsuit states there was a meeting held to address Lively's claims and her requirements for working on the film, as reported by TMZ. It was attended by various people, including Lively's husband, Ryan Reynolds.

Some of the requirements were addressed, according to the lawsuit cited by TMZ, included "no more showing nude videos or images of women to Blake, no more mention of Baldoni's alleged previous 'pornography addiction,' no more discussions about sexual conquests in front of Blake and others, no further mentions of cast and crew's genitalia, no more inquiries about Blake's weight, and no further mention of Blake's dead father."

Blake Lively (left) is suing her It Ends with Us co-star Justin Baldoni (right) for sexual harassment, but his lawyer has said the allegations are “false”. Photos by Getty Images.Blake Lively (left) is suing her It Ends with Us co-star Justin Baldoni (right) for sexual harassment, but his lawyer has said the allegations are “false”. Photos by Getty Images.
Blake Lively (left) is suing her It Ends with Us co-star Justin Baldoni (right) for sexual harassment, but his lawyer has said the allegations are “false”. Photos by Getty Images. | Getty Images

Other requirements mentioned in the lawsuit included: "No more adding of sex scenes, oral sex or on camera climaxing by BL outside the scope of the script BL approved when signing onto the project," as stated by TMZ.

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The lawsuit states that Sony Pictures, who distributed the film, approved of Lively's requests. However, Lively claims in the lawsuit that Baldoni then took part in a "social manipulation" campaign to "destroy" her reputation soon after.

Bryan Freedman, Baldoni's lawyer, told People in a statement that Lively's lawsuit was to "fix her negative reputation." He also said that her allegations are "false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt."

Freedman added that Lively caused problems on set of the film by "threatening to not showing up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release."

It Ends with Us, which is currently streaming on Netflix, follows Lily, played by Lively, a woman who moves to a new city, where she meets and falls in love with a man named Ryle, portrayed by Baldoni, who becomes abusive. Then, her first love reappears, and her world changes.

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