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Blake Lively's legal team say leaked It Ends With Us scene proves her case
The actor's lawyers say Baldoni's team released the footage to the media as part of a "harassment and retaliatory campaignâ? but insist the stunt will backfire.
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Blake Lively's legal team have slammed leaked footage of an unedited It Ends With Us scene by her director and co-star Justin Baldoni, claiming it proves her case.
The star's lawyers claim Baldoni's team released the footage to the media as part of a "harassment and retaliatory campaign” but insist the stunt will backfire.
Baldoni has claimed the unedited love scene refutes Lively's sexual harassment accusations.
On Tuesday, Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman released a video in an attempt to pour water on Livery’s sexual harassment complaint against her director-co-star.
Blake Lively's legal team have slammed leaked footage of an unedited It Ends With Us scene (Image: Getty)Baldoni, 40, and Lively, 37, filmed a dialogue-free scene in the hit 2024 movie, speaking out of character to joke about his nose and her spray tan.
The actress-producer’s lawyers now claim in a statement that “every frame of the released footage corroborates, to the letter,” what Lively included in her lawsuit about that scene.
Lively has claimed in her lawsuit that Baldoni exhibited “disturbing" and “unprofessional” behaviour on the set of the film, causing a "hostile work environment" and “grief, fear, trauma and extreme anxiety.”
Baldoni has claimed the unedited love scene refutes Blake Lively's sexual harassment accusations (Image: 2024 Getty Images)In Lively’s complaint was the accusation that during a “slow dance scene,” Baldoni “leaned forward and slowly dragged his lips from her ear and down her neck as he said, ‘It smells so good.’ ”
After “caressing” Lively “with his mouth in a way that had nothing to do with their roles,” Baldoni later allegedly responded to her objection by saying, “I’m not even attracted to you,” according to the filing.
Baldoni countered with a lawsuit in December against The New York Times for libel, false light invasion of privacy and more over an article covering her allegations.
It Ends With Us was released back in AugustHe also filed a $400 million on January 16 against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and their publicist, claiming defamation, extortion and more.
The latter suit alleges that, while filming a "romance montage" of their characters, the Gossip Girl alum implied that Baldoni should get plastic surgery to fix his nose. In the released video, both can be seen making quips about his nose, including a joke Lively makes referencing plastic surgery.
“Justin Baldoni and his lawyer may hope that this latest stunt will get ahead of the damaging evidence against him, but the video itself is damning,” reads the statement from Lively’s legal team.
“The video shows Mr. Baldoni repeatedly leaning in toward Ms. Lively, attempting to kiss her, kissing her forehead, rubbing his face and mouth against her neck, flicking her lip with his thumb, caressing her, telling her how good she smells, and talking with her out of character. Every moment of this was improvised by Mr. Baldoni with no discussion or consent in advance, and no intimacy coordinator present.”
Lively’s lawyers continue: “Mr. Baldoni was not only Ms. Lively’s co-star, but the director, the head of studio and Ms. Lively’s boss. The video shows Ms. Lively leaning away and repeatedly asking for the characters to just talk.
“Any woman who has been inappropriately touched in the workplace will recognise Ms. Lively’s discomfort. They will recognise her attempts at levity to try to deflect the unwanted touching. No woman should have to take defensive measures to avoid being touched by their employer without their consent.”
The statement concludes that releasing It Ends With Us footage to the media “is another example of an unethical attempt to manipulate the public. It is also a continuation of their harassment and retaliatory campaign. While they are focused on misleading media narratives, we are focused on the legal process. We are continuing our efforts to require Mr. Baldoni and his associates to answer in court, under oath, rather than through manufactured media stunts.”
Also on January 21, Baldoni’s attorneys promised to launch a website that will contain “all correspondence as well as relevant videos that quash her claims.”
While it might seem like they were merely actors acting out a scene that's supposed to depict them falling in love, Lively’s team claims none of the intimacy was discussed or choreographed.
Baldoni’s team released the 10 minutes of raw footage, saying it proved he did not sexually harass Blake during the scene.
Lively’s lawyers point to Paragraph 48 of her lawsuit, which reads, in part ... "At one point, [Baldoni] leaned forward and slowly dragged his lips from her ear and down her neck as he said, 'it smells so good.'
“None of this was remotely in character, or based on any dialogue in the script, and nothing needed to be said because, again, there was no sound.
“Mr. Baldoni was caressing Mr. Lively with his mouth in a way that had nothing to do with their roles."
This latest development in the high-profile legal war comes on the heels of Blake's legal team calling Justin's lawsuit against her "An age-old story: A woman speaks up with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation and the abuser attempts to turn the tables on the victim. This is what experts call DARVO. Deny. Attack. Reverse Victim Offender."
Top showbiz newsLively’s attorneys said: “Releasing this video to the media, rather than presenting it as evidence in court, is another example of an unethical attempt to manipulate the public. It is also a continuation of their harassment and retaliatory campaign. While they are focused on misleading media narratives, we are focused on the legal process. We are continuing our efforts to require Mr. Baldoni and his associates to answer in court, under oath, rather than through manufactured media stunts.”
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