Justin Baldoni Countersuit Against Blake Lively Will ‘Shock Everyone’, Lawyer Says

Justin Baldoni’s lawyer is promising more drama in the high-profile courtroom. Baldoni is reportedly planning to file a countersuit against Blake Lively, who earlier this month sued him in an 80-page complaint citing Baldoni’s inappropriate behavior on the set of their movie It Ends With Us, as well as claims he orchestrated an alleged smear campaign against her.

After the Daily Mail reported this weekend that Baldoni is preparing to file a counter-lawsuit in the new year, Baldoni’s main lawyer Bryan Freedman did not confirm or deny any potential lawsuits but told Deadline that “it is going to shock everyone who has been manipulated into believing a demonstrably false narrative.”

“It will be supported by real evidence and tell the true story,” Freedman continued. “In over 30 years of practicing, I have never seen this level of unethical behavior intentionally fueled through media manipulation. It reminds me of what NBC tried to do to Megyn Kelly and Gabrielle Union and we all know how that ended up. Standby.”

Daily Mail reports that the papers will be filed by Freedman and will include these claims:

• Lively’s PR team was responsible for smears against Baldoni, not the other way around
• WhatsApp messages from Baldoni’s team were presented out of context in a way that altered their meaning
• Lively’s publicist planted stories painting Baldoni in a bad light with news organizations
• Lively’s legal move is designed to rebuild her public image after she received bad press during promotion for It Ends With Us

Lively’s sexual harassment and retaliation complaint is not an actual lawsuit, but rather a possible prelude to one. She has received widespread support from her current and past co-stars and other figures across the industry since her filing. Baldoni was dropped by his talent agents at agency WME, which also represents Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds. Baldoni is also being sued by his ex-publicist.

Lively’s PR team boss Leslie Sloane told Deadline, “It’s clear that Mr. Baldoni and his Wayfarer Associates are suggesting that I originated press stories about HR complaints on set, which is false. Please read Ms. Lively’s Complaint and the Complaint filed by Jonesworks LLC and Stephanie Jones, which provides the details of the campaign against my client.”

This summer, rumors of friction on the set of It Ends With Us ran rampant during the promotion of the film, which is based on the 2016 novel by Colleen Hoover detailing domestic abuse between a married couple. The movie was successful at the box office, earning more than $350 million from a $25 million budget.