Warring co-stars Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively have officially commenced their legal dispute, as Baldoni has initiated a formal lawsuit against the New York Times. He is seeking $250 million in damages, alongside nine other plaintiffs, including his production company, Wayfarer Studios. The allegations encompass libel, false light invasion of privacy, promissory fraud, and breach of an implied-in-fact contract, as reported by PEOPLE.

Baldoni's extensive 87-page complaint, submitted on New Year’s Eve, specifically targets a Times article titled, “‘We Can Buy Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine,” which was released shortly after Lively lodged her initial complaint against him. Taking a proactive stance, Baldoni began the New Year by directly implicating Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, while accusing the Hollywood couple of orchestrating a strategic attack against him.

Justin Baldoni names Ryan Reynolds in his $250m lawsuit against NYT

The actor-director-producer has openly accused the Green Lantern duo of "bullying" him, without hesitation. He elaborates on an alleged meeting that took place on January 4, 2024, at the New York penthouse of Lively and Reynolds, during which the Deadpool star reportedly "berated" him.

As reported by the Daily Mail, Baldoni launched a verbal attack against the 'Marvel Jesus,' who had "aggressively" accused him of various offences against his wife, including "fat shaming."

The couple organized the January 4 meeting, inviting Baldoni along with other producers and a representative from Sony. According to the filing, all attendees arrived eager to discuss plans for the following day's filming, equipped with their production materials. However, Lively and Reynolds "blindsided" them by presenting a "list of grievances that were both unexpected and concerning."

Baldoni characterized the encounter as "traumatic," asserting that he had "never been spoken to in such a manner in his life." The lawsuit claims that Ryan Reynolds insisted Baldoni apologize to his wife, but the directors of It Ends With Us considered the accusations to be mischaracterized and false. The filing further states that Justin maintained his position, asserting that he had not committed any of the alleged actions, which only served to further infuriate Reynolds.

Justin Baldoni accuses Blake Lively of using her power to push him out

In the wake of the gathering at the New York penthouse, attendees were left in a state of "shock." Baldoni asserts that following the conclusion of filming, Lively became heavily involved in the project. Additionally, Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman, along with his publicists, has indicated that further lawsuits will be initiated in the upcoming days. They presented a substantial collection of evidence, including text messages, emails, and WhatsApp communications, which allegedly implicate the Gossip Girl actress in executing a "hostile takeover" of It Ends With Us.

The legal filing argues that Lively was the primary reason Justin Baldoni had to navigate the red carpet without support. The lawsuit strongly criticizes both her and Reynolds for purportedly leveraging their prominent status to undermine Baldoni's reputation and for allegedly attempting to prevent him from attending the film's premiere.

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