Justin Baldoni has reportedly been dropped by his management hours after Blake Lively sued him for sexual harassment.
The It Ends With Us star, 40, was previously represented by the WME agency, who parted ways with the actor following Lively’s lawsuit, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Lively – who is also repped by WME along with her husband, Ryan Reynolds – accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and alleged the actor had launched a campaign to “destroy” her reputation.
The Jane the Virgin star’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, called Lively’s allegations “false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt”.
The Independent has contacted representatives from WME for comment.
The lawsuit states there was a meeting attended by Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, Baldoni and their lawyers, to address The Age of Adeline star’s complaints from the It Ends With Us set.
Lively had a number of requirements in order for her to work on the film, including “no more showing nude videos or images of women to Blake, no more mention of Baldoni’s alleged previous ‘pornography addiction,’ [and] no more discussions about sexual conquests in front of Blake and others.”
The lawsuit also specified: “No further mentions of cast and crew’s genitalia, no more inquiries about Blake’s weight, and no further mention of Blake’s dead father.”
Additionally, “no more adding of sex scenes, oral sex or on camera climaxing by BL outside the scope of the script BL approved when signing onto the project,” according to TMZ.
The filing notes that the It Ends With Us cast and crew were contractually obligated to promote the film as a story of “hope” without making it feel “sad or heavy” despite the plot featuring domestic violence.
However, Baldoni focussed on the film’s serious subject matter during the press tour, while Lively was criticised for promoting the film in a lighthearted fashion.
“What the public also did not know was that this was the beginning of a multi-tiered plan that Mr. Baldoni and his team described as ‘social manipulation’ designed to ‘destroy’ Ms. Lively’s reputation,” the lawsuit reads.
In a statement to The New York Times, Lively said, “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.”
Meanwhile, Baldoni’s lawyer called the claims “shameful”, “categorically false” and “yet another desperate attempt to ‘fix’” Lively’s reputation.
