It’s the legal battle that’s gripped Hollywood – and is showing no sign of abating.
In addition to making a number of outrageous and occasionally bizarre claims, Blake Lively has amended her lawsuit against her former on-screen partner and director Justin Baldini.
The pair starred together in hugely successful hit It Ends with Us before Lively, 37, accused Baldoni, 41, of sexual harassment. He countersued Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, 48, for £321million, accusing them of trying to destroy his reputation and career. Here we run through some of the latest accusations:
Talking to the dead
Baldoni upset Lively by claiming he could “talk to her dead father”, the lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit says: “For example, he claimed he could speak to the dead, and on several occasions told Ms. Lively that he had spoken to her recently-deceased father.
” On one occasion when he claimed to have spoken with Ms. Lively’s dead father (a person whom Mr. Baldoni had never met), Ms. Lively attempted to deflect the comment with humor, telling Mr. Baldoni: “let him know he owes me 40 bucks”. Mr. Baldoni replied, “Wait, does he really”?
“Ms. Lively was shocked that Mr. Baldoni was pushing the conversation further, and replied with another attempt at humorous deflection, stating”, Oh god no. He owes me a lot more than that. “Mr. Baldoni then closed his eyes, put his hand on his heart, and said”, I was leaving my apartment this morning, and I reached into my pocket… and there was $40 dollars in there, that I did not put there. “This exchange deeply disturbed Ms. Lively, and it was not (as Defendants have since claimed) limited to Mr. Baldoni simply claiming to pray for her father”.
‘ Alarming ‘ car ride
Lively alleges she was left “alarmed” by his comments about sexual consent. The lawsuit states: “During a car ride with Ms. Lively, her assistant, and driver, Mr. Baldoni claimed to Ms. Lively that he had been sexually abused by a former girlfriend (which he has since shared publicly).
” At the end this story, Mr. Baldoni shared that it had caused him to reexamine his past. He then said: “Did I always ask for consent? No. When they told me no, did I always pay attention? No”. This is an illustration of how we all have resources to learn and develop, according to Mr. Baldoni.
“Ms. Lively was alarmed by Mr. Baldoni’s suggestion that he had engaged in sexual conduct without consent. Her driver immediately said he didn’t want Ms. Lively to be by herself with Mr. Baldoni and that she shouldn’t continue driving.
struggled to get out of bed.
Lively claims the legal battle with Baldoni left her with “extreme anxiety” and “traumatized” her children. “The emotional impact on Ms. Lively has been extreme, not only affecting her, but her family, including her husband and four children. She frequently chooses not to venture outside in public on days when she has struggled to get out of bed.
While she has fought to maintain her personal life and business interests, behind closed doors she has suffered from grief, fear, trauma, and extreme anxiety. This experience has also caused her to have painful physical symptoms repeatedly.
” Mr. Reynolds, too, has been affected mentally, physically, and professionally by his wife’s and children’s pain, “the complaint continues”. Worst of all, however, has been the impact on their young children, who have been traumatized and emotionally uprooted in ways that have substantially impacted their well-being. “
Invasive sex chat
Lively claims that Baldoni quizzed, in excruciating detail, about her sex-life with movie star husband Ryan Reynolds. He attempted to include a graphic sex scene in the movie without her consent.
The lawsuit states:” After Ms. Lively signed onto the movie based on a draft of the script, Mr. Baldoni, without Ms. Lively’s knowledge or consent, personally added graphic content, including a scene in which Ms. Lively was to orgasm on-camera.
“When Ms. Lively objected to these additions, Mr. Baldoni insisted he had added them because he was making the Film” through the female gaze. He said he made a last-ditch effort to keep one of the scenes where the couple orgasm on their wedding night because he and his partner climaxes at the same time during sexual activity. “He made an effort to keep it that way. Mr. Baldoni then obfuscated and indecently inquired about Ms. Lively’s claim that she and her husband climaxed at the same time during sexual activity.
Others to come forward?
In a Hollywood sexual harassment case, Lively claims two more actresses are scheduled to testify against Baldoni. According to the updated lawsuit, Lively texted a woman in May 2023 to say, “I was gonna invite you to set tomorrow. These people. Whoa? It’s like HR nuts today. The both of them. I came home and cried”.
Lively later describes Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath in a text as “creeps”, adding: “Keep your hormones to yourselves. I don’t want you]sic] gaze or words or tongue or videos of your naked wife”. According to reports, Lively allegedly gave Sony, a film company, her concerns at the time.
According to Baldoni, Lively and another woman were called “sexy.” Sony is alleged to have been informed of that as well.
What does Baldoni’s camp say?
The lawsuit, according to his attorney, is “filled with unsubstantial hearsay of unnamed individuals who are obviously no longer willing to come forward or publicly support her claims,” according to Freedman. He continues, “My clients — Baldoni, his publicists, and Wayfarer Studios have been transparent in providing receipts, real-time documents, and video that show a completely different story than what has been manipulated and cherry-picked to the media,” according to him.
Freedman also criticised Lively and Reynolds for their comments on their Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary special last weekend, which made fun of the saga. Despite the jokes the plaintiff and her husband made in front of the public, our clients have taken this matter and these issues very seriously. Freedman said. The upcoming depositions of those who initially supported Ms. Lively’s false claims and those who are witnesses to her own behavior will be enlightening, he added. What is truly uncomfortable here is Ms. Lively’s lack of actual evidence”.
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Source: Mirror
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