Blake Lively has stepped up her legal battle with Justin Baldoni, claiming that two female co-stars will be supporting her claims.
The legal battle between the two actors – who starred in the film adaptation of It Ends With Us – has been brewing since December when Lively sued Baldoni and his associates for $250 million.
The 37-year-old actress has accused the 41-year-old, who also directed the film, of sexual harassment and retaliating against her with a smear campaign.
Baldoni denied all allegations and hit back by countersuing Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, for $400 million and accusing her of trying to gain control over the movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel.
The Gossip Girl star filed an amended complaint late Tuesday, alleging that the two actresses had also experienced uncomfortable situations on set with Baldoni, per the Daily Mail.
A spokesperson for Lively confirmed that while the complaint does not name these alleged victim-witnesses or include their text messages and screenshots, it aims to protect their privacy.
“Importantly, however, these victim-witnesses have given Ms. Lively permission to share their communications in the Amended Complaint as they are laid out, and they will testify and produce documents in the discovery process,” the spokesperson stated.
The amended complaint reportedly includes “significant contemporaneous evidence” suggesting Lively was not alone in raising concerns about on-set misconduct.
Additionally, it allegedly details “evidence of threats, harassment, and intimidation” directed at Lively and “numerous innocent bystanders.”
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Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, has claimed the allegations have significantly impacted his client’s career.
During an appearance on the Hot Mics With Billy Bush podcast, Freedman emphasized Baldoni’s stance, saying: “We are not willing to do anything until Justin is cleared of being called a predator, a sexual harasser. Until that is determined to have not happened, we will be doing this.”
When asked about the lawsuit’s impact, Freedman confirmed that Baldoni had lost “a substantial amount of work” but did not specify any projects.
He also stated that Baldoni is seeking a legal determination that he “did not engage in the behavior that has been alleged” and did not orchestrate a smear campaign.
Despite the ongoing legal battle, Lively and Reynolds made a public appearance at the SNL50 anniversary special on Sunday, where they appeared to make light of the situation.
During an audience Q&A segment, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler asked Reynolds: “How’s it going?”
“Great. Why, what have you heard?” the Deadpool star responded, clasping his hands together in a seemingly nervous gesture.
