Blake Lively’s lawsuit claims Justin Baldoni recalled sex without consent

Blake Livelythe sexual harassment lawsuit against It ends with us costar Justin Baldoni claims he admitted to not “always” asking for consent before having sex with former partners.

The lawsuit, obtained by Us every week on Saturday, December 21, claims that Baldoni, who also directed the film, and producer Jamey Heath had “discussed their personal sexual experiences and prior addiction to pornography” with her “and attempted to pressure (Lively) into revealing details about her intimate life.”

The documents describe a “car ride with (Lively), his assistant and his driver” during production during which Baldoni allegedly told Lively “that he had been sexually assaulted by a former girlfriend,” which “made him led us to re-examine our past. (Baldoni, 40, spoke about experiencing sexual trauma in a previous relationship during an episode of Elizabeth Day“How to Fail” podcast earlier this month.)

According to the documents, Baldoni then claimed: “Did I always ask for consent? No. Did I always listen when they said no? No,” adding, “It was an example of how we all have things we can learn and grow from. »

Lively claimed that when Baldoni “got out of the car, (his) driver immediately remarked that he did not want Ms. Lively to be alone with Mr. Baldoni in the future.”

Lively filed her sexual harassment complaint against Baldoni on Friday, December 20, alleging that he created a “hostile work environment” on the set of It ends with uscausing “serious emotional distress” to the actress. She also accused Baldoni and his team of orchestrating a smear campaign against her to damage her reputation.

The legal filing says a meeting was held during production in January to address Lively’s claims against Baldoni. His demands for the meeting included “no more videos or images of naked women to Blake, no more mention of Baldoni’s alleged ‘pornography addiction,’ no more discussion of sexual conquests in front of Blake and others, no more no mention of the actors and others. the crew’s genitals, no more inquiries about Blake’s weight, and no more mention of Blake’s deceased father.

Court documents also claim that unwanted kisses were improvised by Baldoni in scenes between his and Lively’s respective characters.

“Mr. Baldoni improvised physical intimacy that had not been rehearsed, choreographed, or discussed with Ms. Lively, without any intimacy coordinator involved,” the documents state. “For example, Mr. Baldoni discreetly bit and sucked Ms. Lively’s lower lip during a scene in which he improvised numerous kisses in each take Mr. Baldoni insisted on shooting the entire scene over and over again, far beyond what would have been required. on an ordinary film set, and without notice or consent.

The suit also claims that Lively was not the only actress to complain about Baldoni’s behavior, noting that “the concerns she raised were not only for herself, but also for other female actors and l team, some of whom also spoke.

The lawsuit reads: “As a result of Mr. Baldoni’s behavior, on May 29, 2023, another cast member filed a sexual harassment complaint regarding Mr. Baldoni’s “rude” and “unwelcome comments.” towards her and others. In the documents, Lively alleged that “another actress made a complaint regarding Mr. Baldoni’s comments about her appearance.”

“Mr. Baldoni expressly acknowledged her concerns in writing, stating that he would ‘adjust accordingly,'” the documents continue. “Yet on June 8, 2023, this actress informed Ms. Lively that apart from anything either in one scene I can’t talk to Justin at all Mr. Baldoni then expressed his suspicions about Ms. Lively’s friendship with this actress, as if they were colluding against him.

In a statement to WeBaldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman addressed Lively’s “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious” allegations, saying she filed the lawsuit to “repair her negative reputation” and “rehash a narrative” about the film’s production.

Lively, for her part, has received support from several people involved in the film since filing her complaint, including It ends with us author Colleen Hooverwho voiced his support for the actress in a lengthy statement on social media, praising Lively for her “ability to refuse to sit and be buried.” (Lively starred in the film adaptation of Hoover’s book as Lily Bloom opposite Baldoni’s Ryle, Lily’s abusive husband.)

“I hope that my legal action will help to lift the veil on these sinister retaliatory tactics aimed at harming those who speak out about misconduct and protecting others who may be targeted,” she said in a press release to The New York Times SATURDAY. The actress also denied spreading negative information about Baldoni.