What are the key allegations against Blake Lively? Justin Baldoni's $400M lawsuit explored

On Thursday, January 16, Justin Baldoni filed a $400 million lawsuit against Blake Lively, her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist, Leslie Sloane. Baldoni's 179-page-long lawsuit comes as a response to Lively's legal complaint against the actor and his associate filed less than a month ago (on December 20, 2024), as per multiple reports.

Their legal battle ensued following the release of their 2024 romantic drama, It Ends with Us, which was based on a 2016 Colleen Hoover novel of the same name. Lively and Baldoni co-starred in the film, with the latter directing it.

Among other allegations, Baldoni accused Blake Lively of "false s*xual harassment claims." Below, we'll throw light on the key allegations made against Blake Lively in Justin Baldoni's recent lawsuit.

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Key allegations made against Blake Lively made by Justin Baldoni, explored

Here are the key allegations Justin Baldoni and his team made against Blake Lively in his lawsuit:

* Baldoni's lawsuit counters many of the claims that Blake Lively made in her complaint, alleging she knowingly invented "false s*xual harassment claims" meant to destroy his reputation and bury the negative press attention she received surrounding the release of their film, It Ends With Us.

* Justin's lawsuit alleges that Blake Lively never read the Colleen Hoover book - upon which their movie was based - therefore making "wrongheaded creative decisions" that reflected her lack of understanding of the plot.

* It claims that Lively assumed complete control over her wardrobe for the movie, allegedly wanting to make her costumes "much sexier." Blake's input also led her wardrobe to exceed the allocated budget.

* It also alleges that Lively refused to promote the movie with her co-star and director, Justin Baldoni, and had him removed from all promotional materials and posters. Blake also allegedly attempted to have Baldoni banned from the movie's premiere under threat of a boycott and ultimately permitted him to attend "under humiliating conditions".

* According to the lawsuit, Lively re-wrote a key scene in the movie - where Lily Bloom and Ryle Kincaid meet at the rooftop. And when Baldoni resisted her re-write, the actress allegedly involved her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and Taylor Swift to pressure him into accepting it. Lively also referred to Swift and Reynolds as her "dragons" in a text message to Baldoni.

* The lawsuit also alleges that Lively delivered Justin an ultimatum, claiming that if the actor "could not get on board with her work methods, he had two weeks to recast her." If Lively had left the film based on accusations of fat-shaming, it would have destroyed Baldoni's reputation and life's work. Therefore, he had no choice but to concede to her demands.

* The suit claims that while Blake accused Justin Baldoni of intruding on her privacy while pumping or breastfeeding in her complaint, she regularly breastfed in front of Baldoni when they had meetings.

* It also alleges that Lively requested Baldoni for access to the dailies - a roundup of all the takes from a day of filming. Per the suit, the actress "sought to work alone in the editing bay, without Baldoni, so that she would have full control." It added that she wasn't satisfied with merely collaborating with the director and wanted to see her own creative vision for the film realized.

* The lawsuit counters Blake's claim that she was "mostly nude" while filming the movie's birthing scene, calling it "dishonest". Per the suit, Lively "was wearing black briefs and a pregnancy suit that covered her midsection, and her top was covered by a hospital gown." It also added that the actress was heavily involved in writing the script and gave creative input for this specific scene.

* The suit also alleges that while Blake accused Baldoni of making comments about her appearance, she herself made derogatory comments about his appearance, telling him he should undergo rhinoplasty (a nose job).

* Per the suit, Blake Lively decided to use Justin Baldoni as a "scapegoat" by accusing him of assault and creating a hostile work environment when she couldn't "tolerate her publicly tainted image" in light of her "tone-deaf" promotion of a film centered around domestic violence.

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Responding to Justin Baldoni's lawsuit, Blake Lively's legal team issued a statement to The Hollywood Reporting, stating:

"This is an age-old story: A woman speaks up with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation and the abuser attempts to turn the tables on the victim. This is what experts call DARVO. Deny. Attack. Reverse Victim Offender."

Lively is represented by Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, and Willkie Farr & Gallagher.