Blake Lively is reportedly gearing up for whatever challenges the new year may bring, formally filing a lawsuit against Justin Baldoni just weeks after her sexual harassment allegations against him became public.
The Gossip Girl star, 37, filed her lawsuit on New Year’s Eve, the same day Baldoni launched a $250 million libel case against the New York Times over its explosive coverage of Lively’s initial complaint.
Lively has accused Baldoni of creating a toxic workplace environment during the production of It Ends With Us, allegations Baldoni has staunchly denied.
On Friday, DailyMail.com exclusively reported that Baldoni plans to file an ‘explosive counter lawsuit’ once courts reopen after the New Year holiday.
Still, Lively shows no signs of backing down.
According to a source who spoke with People on Tuesday, the actress has been in regular contact with her legal team and ‘knows she’ll have an explosive start to the new year.’
Blake Lively is reportedly bracing herself for whatever challenges the new year may bring, including a potential retaliation from Justin Baldoni after she accused him of sexual harassment earlier this month; (seen in August)
According to a source who spoke with People on Tuesday, the actress has been in regular contact with her legal team and is fully prepared for the storm ahead; (Baldoni in December)
‘She still believes she’s doing the right thing. She’s ready to tackle whatever comes her way,” they added.
For now, the source shared that Lively is finding strength in her loved ones, feeling “very fortunate to be surrounded by the most loving family and supportive friends”—including her husband Ryan Reynolds and their four children.
‘Ryan does everything he can on a daily basis to relieve her stress and to be supportive,’ the insider added of Reynolds, 48.
In her 80-page lawsuit, Blake accuses Justin of inappropriate behavior on the set of It Ends With Us, including entering her makeup trailer while she was topless, showing her explicit pictures and a graphic birth video, discussing his ‘porn addiction,’ commenting on his own genitalia, and even biting and kissing her during an improvised scene, insisting on multiple takes.
Rumors of tension between the two began circulating over the summer when they appeared to avoid each other during the film’s promotional tour, escalating to a full-blown legal battle after Lively’s lawsuit was filed last week.
Now, Baldoni is preparing to file a counter lawsuit as soon as the courts reopen after the New Year.
The counterclaim will assert that Lively’s team, not Baldoni, is behind the smear campaign.
It will also challenge the authenticity of emails, texts, and WhatsApp messages from Baldoni’s publicists, claiming they were misinterpreted.
‘She knows she’ll have an explosive start to the new year,’ the insider revealed; (seen in December)
It Ends With Us, based on the 2016 bestseller by Colleen Hoover, was released in August and was a box office hit, grossing more than $350million against a $25million production budget
Additionally, the counterclaim will accuse Lively’s powerful publicist Leslie Sloane, of planting damaging stories about Baldoni in the media.
Lively said in her complaint that Baldoni and select associates worked in concert in instigating a negative publicly campaign at her expense, with the intent to diminish her reputation
‘I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted,’ Lively told the New York Times.
Baldoni has denied all allegations made in Lively’s lawsuit.
Since the legal filing, Baldoni has encountered several repercussions, including a lawsuit from a former publicist and being dropped by the WME agency, which also represents Lively and Reynolds.
On December 24, Vital Voices announced it had revoked the Voices of Solidarity Award given to Baldoni earlier that month.
