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Blake Lively’s sexual harassment lawsuit against It Ends With Us costar Justin Baldoni claims he admitted to not “always” asking for consent before engaging in sex with past partners.
The lawsuit, which was obtained by Us Weekly on Saturday, December 21, alleges that both Baldoni, who also directed the film, and producer Jamey Heath had “discussed their personal sexual experiences and previous porn addiction” with her “and tried to pressure [Lively] to reveal details about her intimate life.”
The documents describe a “car ride with [Lively], her assistant and driver” during production wherein Baldoni allegedly claimed to Lively “that he had been sexually abused by a former girlfriend” which “caused him to reexamine his past.” (Baldoni, 40, spoke about experiencing sexual trauma in a previous relationship on an episode of Elizabeth Day’s “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, “This was an example of how we all have things from which we can learn and grow.”
Lively claimed that when Baldoni “exited the car, [her] driver immediately remarked that he did not want Ms. Lively to be alone with Mr. Baldoni going forward.”
Lively filed her sexual harassment complaint against Baldoni on Friday, December 20, alleging that he had created a “hostile work environment” on the set of It Ends With Us, causing the actress “severe emotional distress.” She also accused Baldoni and his team of orchestrating a smear campaign against her to damage her reputation.
The legal filing states that a meeting was held during production in January to address Lively’s claims against Baldoni. Her demands for the meeting included “no more showing nude videos or images of women to Blake, no more mention of Baldoni’s alleged previous ‘pornography addiction,’ no more discussions about sexual conquests in front of Blake and others, 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.”
Court documents also claim that unwanted kissing had been 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, with no intimacy coordinator involved,” the docs state. “For instance, Mr. Baldoni discreetly bit and sucked on Ms. Lively’s lower lip during a scene in which he improvised numerous kisses on each take. Mr. Baldoni insisted on shooting the full scene over and over again, well beyond what would have been required on an ordinary set, and without advance notice or consent.”
The suit also claims that Lively was not the only cast member to complain about Baldoni’s behavior, noting the “concerns she raised were not only for herself, but for the other female cast and crew, some of whom had also spoken up.”
The lawsuit reads: “As result of Mr. Baldoni’s behavior, on May 29, 2023, another cast member lodged a sexual harassment complaint about Mr. Baldoni’s ‘gross’ and ‘unwanted comment[s]’ towards her and others.” In the docs, Lively alleged that “another actress made a complaint about Mr. Baldoni’s comments on her appearance.”
“Mr. Baldoni expressly acknowledged her concerns in writing, stating he would ‘adjust accordingly,’” the docs continue. “Yet on June 8, 2023, that actress informed Ms. Lively that ‘outside of anything in a scene, I actually cannot talk to Justin at all.’ Mr. Baldoni later expressed suspicion regarding Ms. Lively’s friendship with this actress, as if they were colluding against him.”
In a statement to Us, Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman addressed Lively’s “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious” allegations, claiming she filed the lawsuit to “fix her negative reputation” and “rehash a narrative” about the film’s production.
Lively, for her part, has received support from several people involved with the movie since her complaint was filed, including It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover, who voiced her support for the actress in a lengthy statement on social media, praising Lively for her “ability to refuse to sit down 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 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,” she said in a statement to The New York Times on Saturday. The actress also denied spreading negative information about Baldoni.
