Justin Baldoni is reportedly preparing to file a counter lawsuit against Blake Lively.
The news comes a week after the actress filed her complaint, citing sexual harassment and a smear campaign, which he has denied through his legal team.
Justin‘s lawyer Bryan Freedman has shared a statement in response to reports they are filing at the start of the new year, stating their counter lawsuit will “shock everyone.”
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“I am not going to speak to when or how many lawsuits we are filing but when we file our first lawsuit, it is going to shock everyone who has been manipulated into believing a demonstrably false narrative,” Bryan shared in a statement to Deadline. “It will be supported by real evidence and tell the true story. In over 30 years of practicing, I have never seen this level of unethical behavior intentionally fueled through media manipulation. It reminds me of what NBC tried to do to Megyn Kelly and Gabrielle Union and we all know how that ended up. Standby.”
Daily Mail reports that Justin‘s filing will show how Blake‘s PR team is actually responsible for smears against the director, the text messages were out of context to alter their meaning, her PR planted stories to paint Justin in a bad light, and her lawsuit is to rebuild her public image.
However, Blake‘s publicist Leslie Sloane is responding to the potential countersuit and responds to the initial reports of HR complaints on set of It Ends With Us.
“I was contacted on 8/11 by Sara Nathan (Melissa Nathan’s sister) forwarding an anonymous tip that Page Six received, regarding allegations of HR complaints on the set of It Ends with Us,” she told Deadline. “After that, I was contacted by various press outlets asking about allegations of HR complaints. When contacted, I responded to press questions by referring them to Wayfarer or Sony for information regarding HR complaints.”
“It’s clear that Mr. Baldoni and his Wayfarer Associates are suggesting that I originated press stories about HR complaints on set, which is false. Please read Ms. Lively’s Complaint and the Complaint filed by Jonesworks LLC and Stephanie Jones, which provides the details of the campaign against my client.”
Since Blake‘s lawsuit against Justin, he has been dropped by his talent agents and a recent award he was honored with was rescinded. His Man Enough co-host also parted ways with the podcast.
Blake has since received quite a bit of support from celebrities, including a couple of their It Ends With Us co-stars.
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