Actor-director, Justin Baldoni has filed a defamation lawsuit against his co-star Blake Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, for $400 million in damages over the film “It Ends With Us.”
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the federal court in New York, accuses Lively and Reynolds of defamation, alleging that their actions caused damage to Baldoni’s reputation and future earning potential.
Baldoni’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, and publicist, Leslie Sloane, were also named in the suit.
The legal battle comes just weeks after Lively filed her own lawsuit against Baldoni and others involved in the film, alleging harassment and claiming she faced a campaign to tarnish her reputation after raising concerns about her treatment on set.
Baldoni, in turn, sued The New York Times for libel, alleging that the publication colluded with Lively to defame him.
In the latest suit, Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios claim they were reluctant to take legal action but were compelled to respond to Lively’s accusations.
The filing states, “Lively has unequivocally left them with no choice, not only to set the record straight but also to expose the darker sides of Hollywood they have sought to counter.”
However, publicist, Leslie Sloane, whose firm represents both Lively and Reynolds, has yet to respond.
NBC News reports that both actors are represented by the talent agency WME, which dropped Baldoni as a client after Lively filed a legal complaint—a move that preceded her lawsuit—and following a report by The New York Times detailing the controversy surrounding the film.
Meanwhile, the unexpected success of the movie, adapted from Colleen Hoover’s novel, has sparked conversations in Hollywood about how female actors are treated on set and in the media.
