Blake Lively has claimed to have suffered $161,000,000 in damages from Justin Baldoni’s alleged ‘smear campaign’ amid major updates in the case.
Lively and Baldoni have been involved in a protracted legal battle following their time working together on the 2024 movie adaptation of It Ends with Us, in which they starred opposite one another and Baldoni served as director.
Lively has alleged that Baldoni carried out a smear campaign against her following a meeting in which she laid out ground rules for her return to work after COVID-19, further alleging that he had sexually harassed her.
Baldoni, however, argued that this was untrue, and that the allegations came as a result of a creative dispute over control of the film.
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Lively filed a complaint in December of 2024, accusing him of creating a hostile workplace and launching a targeted smear campaign against her.
Baldoni hit back with a $400,000,000 countersuit; however, this was thrown out of court last week after the actor missed a deadline for refiling.
Lively has now revealed the damages she claims were caused by Baldoni’s alleged smear campaign, stating that she suffered $161,000,000 in damages.
These damages are broken down into three main categories, in which she claims Baldoni’s team lost her opportunities and money.
The It Ends with Us actor claims she lost out on $56,200,000 in income from acting, producing and endorsements, $49,000,000 from her beauty brand Blake Brown, and $22,000,000 from Betty Buzz, her drinks company.
Further to this, she alleges that she is owed $34,000,000 due to the reputational harm caused by the alleged campaign, with her lawyers claiming there were 65 million negative impressions on social media.
Per Variety, Lively’s lawyers will supposedly seek at least three times the $161,000,000 she claims to be owed, meaning they may seek nearly half a billion dollars in punitive damages.
The filing also includes a sizeable list of celebs who may become involved in the case, though it is unlikely that many will end up testifying in court, with the legal showdown set to take place in March of next year.
The list includes Taylor Swift, Hugh Jackman, Emily Blunt, Scooter Braun, and Gigi Hadid.
Speaking to Variety, Gregory Doll, a lawyer at Doll Amir Eley, said of the filing: “These are wish list numbers. You want to put a big enough number to get the other side concerned and want to settle.”
Baldoni’s celeb lawyer Bryan Freedman has claimed that their $400,000,000 lawsuit was not refiled on purpose, stating that it allowed them to still be able to lodge an appeal.
In a statement, Freedman said: “In the meantime, we are focusing on Ms Lively's claims.
“We remain fully committed to pursuing the truth through every legal and factual avenue available and look forward to our day in court.”
Topics: Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, TV and Film, Film, Celebrity, Money
Michael Slavin