Justin Baldoni has introduced a website that reveals new texts purportedly from Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds in the midst of their ongoing legal dispute.
Since late last year, Baldoni and Lively have been locked in a legal struggle following a lawsuit by the Gossip Girl star against her It Ends With Us co-actor, alleging sexual harassment.
Baldoni, who also directed the film, retaliated with a countersuit against Lively and her spouse, Reynolds, seeking $400 million for accusations of civil extortion, defamation, false light invasion of privacy, among other claims.
According to documents reviewed by Variety, Michael Gottlieb, the couple’s legal representative, informed the judge of their intention to “move to dismiss Plaintiffs’ complaint.”
There have been numerous accusations exchanged between the legal teams of the celebrities. Lively has also charged Baldoni and his associates, including Wayfarer Studios, with devising a scheme to “destroy her reputation” and orchestrating a smear campaign.
Baldoni’s team has refuted all allegations and has now unveiled a website presenting what they claim is evidence that Baldoni had no intention of damaging Lively’s reputation. They assert that the opposite is true.
Alongside his lawsuit, Baldoni has published a ‘timeline of relevant events’ featuring new alleged text messages from Lively and Reynolds to him.
On February 28, 2021, Baldoni sent a message to Reynolds, expressing his excitement about collaborating with Lively.
Reynolds replied: “You’ve hit the jackpot with B. She literally passes on every film and every filmmaker all the time.”
“I’m excited for Blake to crack open her creative piggy bank with someone as dynamic as you.”
“This is gonna be INCREDIBLE. … I happen to adore you, Justin.”
Considerable discussion surrounds a scene in It Ends With Us that Lively requested to revise.
In a text to Baldoni, she said: “You OK if I play around with the dialogue to give her a bit more agency and fun and send to you? We can amp up their verbal ping pong/volley.”
She elaborated in another text: “If you knew me (in person) longer you’d have a sense of how flirty and yummy the ball busting will play. It’s my love language. Spicy and playfully bold, never with teeth….”
During the negative attention Lively faced during the film’s promotional tour, her talent agency WME purportedly insisted that Baldoni and Wayfarer Studio accept full responsibility for adverse stories about Lively or else “gloves will come off.” They believed Baldoni’s team was responsible for spreading negative stories.
A statement crafted for Baldoni states: “It Ends With Us was a troubled production which we take full accountability for. Blake Lively, Colleen Hoover, the entire cast and crew led with professionalism every step of the way, any negativity aimed at them is ours to own.”
“We have always said we are not perfect and even if [we] unintentionally make mistakes, we always own them.”
Baldoni’s legal team has long threatened to launch the website. Lively’s attorney, Michael Gottleib, informed the Daily Mail about the potential release: “The planned website will release what Mr. Freedman self-servingly proclaims will be ‘full unedited WhatsApp, text and email exchanges between Lively and Baldoni,’ although neither the media nor public will have any way of knowing which communications Mr. Freedman has selectively omitted from disclosure, including communications that Mr. Freedman and his clients may have deleted.”
On Monday, February 3, the initial court hearing for the case is scheduled, but the timeline for proceedings and resolution remains uncertain.