The ongoing legal battle between Blake Lively and It Ends with Us costar and director Justin Baldoni continues.
Araya Doheny / Variety via Getty Images, John Nacion / Variety via Getty Images
In the quickest synopsis of the entire ordeal, on Dec. 20, Blake filed a complaint accusing Justin of 𝓈ℯ𝓍ual harassment on the set of It Ends with Us and coordinating a smear campaign against her.
The New York Times published an article supporting Blake’s allegations, accusing Justin’s PR team of a “social manipulation” to damage her image, and he was dropped by his talent agency, William Morris Endeavour.
Dec. 31, Blake filed a lawsuit against Justin, his production company, and PR reps Jennifer Abel and Melissa Nathan. On the same day, Justin announced he was suing the New York Times for $250 million for the Dec. 21 article.
If you’re keeping up, it didn’t end there. On Jan. 16, Justin filed a countersuit against Blake and Ryan alleging defamation, breach of contract, and civil extortion, among other things.
Justin denied the 𝓈ℯ𝓍ual harassment allegations against him, and his team launched a public-facing website that laid out all the correspondence with Blake over the entire cross of filming It Ends with Us.
On Feb. 21, the Hollywood Reporter recently released a cover illustration for their cover story about Blake and Justin’s It Ends with Us legal battle — and Blake was not pleased.
The magazine cover image depicts Justin holding the book of It Ends with Us in his hands while Blake wields a slingshot behind him. On THR’s website, a wider image also depicts Blake’s husband Ryan as Nicepool from Deadpool & Wolverine, and apparently Justin’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman.
“The Hollywood Reporter should be ashamed of itself,” a spokesperson for Blake said in a statement according to E! News.
“The framing in this picture is outrageously insulting as it plays into every 𝓈ℯ𝓍ist trope about women who dare file a workplace complaint, turning them into the aggressor, and suggesting they deserve the retaliation that comes their way,” the rep added.
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“In addition, the story is extremely offensive as it incredibly seems to explain away documented examples of 𝓈ℯ𝓍ual harassment and retaliation by calling them ‘cultural misunderstandings.'”
