Blake Lively Sues 'It Ends With Us' Co-Star Justin Baldoni for Sexual Harassment

After months of rumored behind-the-scenes drama, Blake Lively is suing her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment. 

According to the legal complaint, which was first reported by TMZ, obtained by PEOPLE, and cited in a lengthy investigative report by The New York Times, Lively claims Baldoni's alleged actions caused her "severe emotional distress." The filing states that there was a meeting held to address Lively's claims and her demands for working on the film, which 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."

The lawsuit also requested that there be “no more adding of sex scenes, oral sex or on camera climaxing by BL [Blake Lively] outside the scope of the script BL approved when signing onto the project.” 

In an investigation by The New York Times reviewing the filing and text messages and emails that Lively obtained via subpoena, Lively's requests were approved by the studio, Sony Pictures. However, Lively further claims that Baldoni, who also served as the film's director, then took part in a "social manipulation" campaign to "destroy" her reputation soon after, citing texts from Baldoni's publicist to the studio's publicist as evidence. 

In a statement shared with InStyle, Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, said, in part, that Lively's allegations are "false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media." Freedman also added that the lawsuit was filed to "fix her negative reputation" and "rehash a narrative" regarding the film's production.

Freedman further alleged that Lively made “multiple demands and threats” while filming It Ends With Us, such as “threatening to not show up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release, if her demands were not met.”  

When reached for comment, a representative for Lively directed InStyle to a statement Lively previously shared with the Times, which read, “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.”

Rumors of a feud between Lively and Baldoni first began when the official press tour for the film kicked off this summer. Fans noticed that Lively promoted the movie with her co-stars (minus Baldoni) during joint interviews and on the red carpet, while Baldoni did his press solo and didn't pose for photos alongside the rest of the cast at the New York premiere in August. 

“There were two camps on the film—team Blake and team Justin,” a source told Us Weekly. “This creative struggle set the tone for the negative experience behind the scenes and grew into them not speaking anymore.”

Read the original article on InStyle