Justin Baldoni’s wife, Emily, showed her public support for the actor and director for the first time since his It Ends With Us scandal. On Jan. 24, she penned a heartfelt 41st birthday tribute to her husband, writing, “Happy birthday my love. Celebrating the man, husband, and father that you are. I’d choose you again and again.” In the post, the two share a kiss on the beach while their two kids, Maiya, 9, and Maxwell, 7, watch.
Baldoni and his co-star Blake Lively are engulfed in a nasty legal battle, with Lively claiming sexual harassment at the hands of Baldoni, and Baldoni alleging defamation. He maintains his innocence.
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Lively alleges Baldoni and his PR team sought to destroy her reputation by planting negative stories to the media after she complained about him on set and had protocols put in place while filming to avoid unscripted sexual contact between them. Baldoni alleges Lively and her husband, fellow actor Ryan Reynolds, used their power to bully him and get what they wanted during filming. Baldoni is also suing the couple for $400 million for defamation. He is also suing the The New York Times for what he considers biased reporting when breaking the news of Lively’s lawsuit against him, claiming they didn’t do enough research. The publication stands by their reporting.
Most recently, Baldoni’s attorney released behind-the-scenes footage of the actor filming a slow dancing scene with Lively in the movie in an attempt to refute her claims that Baldoni acted inappropriately with her while they were on set. Lively’s legal team says the clip is counterproductive and proves her claims.
“Justin Baldoni and his lawyer may hope that this latest stunt will get ahead of the damaging evidence against him, but the video itself is damning,” her legal team said, according to NBC News. “The video shows Ms. Lively leaning away and repeatedly asking for the characters to just talk. Any woman who has been inappropriately touched in the workplace will recognize Ms. Lively’s discomfort. They will recognize her attempts at levity to try to deflect the unwanted touching,” her legal team added. “No woman should have to take defensive measures to avoid being touched by their employer without their consent.”