The ongoing legal battle between actor-director Justin Baldoni and actress Blake Lively continues to escalate, with both parties fiercely defending their positions in court.
In a recent development, Baldoni submitted an alleged page from the script of *It Ends With Us*
as part of his defense, seeking to disprove Lively’s claims that he had criticized her body, specifically her weight, on set.
The legal dispute was ignited when Lively filed a lawsuit accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment during the making of the film.
In her complaint, Lively alleges that Baldoni subjected her to “routinely degrading” behavior, including making negative comments about her body,
especially after she had given birth to her fourth child.
According to Lively, Baldoni secretly reached out to her personal trainer, implying that she needed to lose weight for the film, citing a scene where he would have to lift her. However, Lively argues that no such scene ever existed in the script.
In response, Baldoni has vehemently denied the allegations. His legal team argues that the director’s outreach to Lively’s personal trainer was not intended to body-shame her but rather to ensure that a physical scene, involving a lift, could be executed safely. The director, who suffers from chronic back pain due to past injuries, including multiple bulging disks, said the precaution was necessary for both his and Lively’s well-being. His lawyers submitted a page from the *It Ends With Us* script, which allegedly shows that Baldoni’s character was indeed supposed to “scoop” up Lively’s character, thus supporting his claim that the concerns were purely practical.
To further back up his defense, Baldoni also presented video footage of himself rehearsing the scene with a body double. This, according to his legal team, demonstrates the steps taken to ensure that the physical demands of the scene were realistic and safe. Baldoni maintains that his actions were not malicious or intended to degrade Lively, but simply to ensure the film’s production went smoothly.
Lively’s lawsuit also accuses Baldoni of offering her access to a health expert when she contracted strep throat during filming. However, Lively later discovered that the so-called health expert was actually a weight-loss specialist, which she interpreted as another attempt by Baldoni to subtly shame her body. Baldoni, on the other hand, has denied this accusation, presenting alleged text messages in which he simply asked the specialist for probiotic recommendations to help Lively recover. Baldoni’s legal team argues that Lively’s interpretation of these events is a misrepresentation of the truth, suggesting that no ill intentions were behind his actions.
As the case progresses, Baldoni has taken an unconventional approach to defending himself in the court of public opinion. He has launched a website dedicated to sharing text messages, videos, and a detailed timeline of events related to the lawsuit. The director’s legal team has also amended his countersuit, claiming that Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, orchestrated a campaign to damage Baldoni’s reputation.
Bryan Freedman, Baldoni’s attorney, went as far as to accuse Lively and Reynolds of “colluding for months to destroy reputations through a complex web of lies.” He believes that the public attention surrounding the case has shed light on the “undeniable facts” supporting Baldoni’s defense.
Despite Baldoni’s public rebuttal, sources close to Lively and Reynolds suggest that the lawsuit has taken an emotional toll on the actress. Reports indicate that Lively is feeling “emotionally zapped” by the ongoing legal proceedings but remains resolute in her belief that she will ultimately win in court. To Lively, the lawsuit has become a “sideshow” — one she believes was orchestrated by Baldoni in an attempt to deflect attention from his own actions.
As both parties dig in their heels and stand firm in their respective claims, it is clear that the legal battle shows no signs of slowing down. With accusations of body-shaming, sexual harassment, and deliberate campaigns to tarnish reputations being thrown from both sides, the case has become a media frenzy. For now, the future remains uncertain as the dispute unfolds in the courtroom and the public eye.
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