It Ends With Us Director Justin Baldoni Reportedly Preparing Countersuit Against Blake Lively Sexual Harassment Lawsuit

Following the recent shocking reports of his alleged behavior during production, Justin Baldoni is reportedly preparing a countersuit against It Ends with Us' Blake Lively for her lawsuit. Just prior to Christmas 2024, the producer/star of the controversial romantic drama filed a lawsuit against her director and co-star for sexual harassment and emotional distress, as well as a legal complaint of a hostile work environment and Baldoni mounting a retaliatory smear campaign against her. In the wake of the filing, Baldoni was dropped by his talent agency as a client, and multiple voices came out in support of Lively, including author Colleen Hoover.

Now, the UK's Daily Mail (via Deadline) reports that Baldoni is about to file a countersuit against Lively's sexual harassment lawsuit from December 20. The It Ends with Us director/star is reported to be filing it with his business partner and Wayfarer Studios CEO Jamey Heath, as well as the publicists named in Lively's lawsuit as being part of the smear campaign against her.

Baldoni's countersuit alleges that "Lively's team was responsible for smears" against him, instead of the reverse, the text messages included in her lawsuit are "presented out of context in a way that alters their meaning", that Lively's publicist also "planted stories" against Baldoni and that the filings of her lawsuit and complaint are "designed to rebuild her public image" after she "received bad press" during promotion of It Ends with Us.

What This Means For Lively's Lawsuit

The Director & Star's Legal Battles Are Only Just Getting Started

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The drama began just prior to the movie's release, when sources reported that there had been some conflict between Baldoni and Lively during production, and quickly became a point of speculation amongst the wider public. Some quickly noted that Baldoni being unfollowed by the majority of the It Ends with Us cast on social media, combined with the lack of engagement between them all at press events, led some to take weight in the rumblings.

While Baldoni has attempted to deny these allegations in the days since they were filed, much of what was raised seems to have been accepted as truth by many, including Sony Pictures, who released a statement supporting Lively, Vital Voices, who rescinded the director's award for Voices of Solidarity, and even one of his former publicists, Stephanie Jones, who filed a lawsuit against him for both breach of contract and defamation.

One of the more notable voices of support was that of Amber Heard, who called Baldoni's actions "as horrifying as [they are] destructive" and lamented social media for having inadvertently helped spread his smear campaign against Lively. The initial reports of Lively's lawsuit saw Heard's name referenced on multiple occasions as Baldoni had reportedly hired PR crisis manager Melissa Nathan, who was previously hired by Johnny Depp during the infamous trial between him and Heard. Heard is also reportedly in the midst of a lawsuit against Nathan for the same reasons Lively is, adding further fuel to the controversy fire.

Our Take On Baldoni & Heard's Lawsuits

Another Important Chapter In Hollywood History

Image via Sony Pictures

Regardless of who is to be believed, and what the outcome of the lawsuits will be, Baldoni and Lively's It Ends with Us drama is still an important continuation of Hollywood's recent trend of accountability and positive work environments. Smear campaigns and inappropriate behavior clearly still prove to be an issue on productions, even in the main wake of the #MeToo movement, and unless these matters come to light for the public, there won't be enough of an outcry for studios and creatives to be transparent with the people they're making movies and TV shows for.

Source: Deadline