Featured Image Credit: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
Topics: Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Ryan Reynolds, News, Celebrity
Niamh Shackleton
Topics: Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Ryan Reynolds, News, Celebrity
A new court document filed by Blake Lively's attorneys details the 'emotional impact' Justin Baldoni's alleged smear campaign had on her, her husband, and children.
Lively filed a suit against her It Ends With Us co-star Baldoni in December 2024, where she claimed to have been sexually harassed by him and accused him and his team of hatching a smear campaign against her. Baldoni then countersued Lively, Ryan Reynolds and their publicist, alleging defamation.
Both actors deny the allegations made against them.
Dozens of allegations about Lively, 37, and Baldoni, 41, have since been revealed amid their ongoing legal back-and-forth, including supposed text message exchanges between Baldoni and Reynolds.
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Elsewhere, a leaked voice note allegedly details Baldoni apologizing to his co-star, who admitted that he had 'f****d up'.
Now, a new document has been filed by Lively's team which says that her children have been left 'traumatized' by Baldoni's alleged actions.
The Gossip Girl alum has been married to Reynolds for 12 years, with whom she shares four children; James, 10, Inez, eight, Betty, five, and two-year-old son, Olin.
Part of the amendment reads: "There are days when she has struggled to get out of bed, and she frequently chooses not to venture outside in public.
"While she has fought to maintain her personal life and business interests, behind closed doors she has suffered from grief, fear, trauma, and extreme anxiety."
In regards to Deadpool star Reynolds, it says that the 48-year-old has 'been affected mentally, physically, and professionally by his wife’s and children’s pain'.
The amendment goes on to add: "Worst of all, however, has been the impact on their young children, who have been traumatized and emotionally uprooted in ways that have substantially impacted their well-being."
Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman has since responded to the amended complaint, issuing a statement which branded the new allegations 'underwhelming'.
"Our clients have been transparent in providing receipts, real-time documents and video showing a completely different story than what has been manipulated and cherry-picked to the media," he told Fox News.
"Our clients have taken this matter and these issues very seriously, notwithstanding the jokes made publicly by the plaintiff and her husband. Her underwhelming amended complaint is filled with unsubstantial hearsay of unnamed persons who are clearly no longer willing to come forward or publicly support her claims.
"Since documents do not lie and people do, the upcoming depositions of those who initially supported Ms. Lively’s false claims and those who are witnesses to her own behaviour will be enlightening.
"What is truly uncomfortable here is Ms. Lively’s lack of actual evidence."
The changes come just days after Reynolds alluded to their ongoing legal dispute with Baldoni while attending Saturday Night Live's 50th celebrations over the weekend.
The celebrity couple made their first public appearance together since Lively filed the suit last year, with Reynolds taking part in a comedic Q&A.
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler asked him how he is, to which the actor replied: "Great. Why? What have you heard?"
People were quick to presume he was alluding to their ongoing legal woes with Baldoni. With this in mind, Baldoni's lawyer hit out at Reynolds for the alleged quip.
"I’m unaware of anybody, frankly, whose wife has been sexually harassed and has made jokes about that type of situation," Freedman said during an episode of Hot Mics with Bill Bush.
He added: "I can’t think of anyone who’s done anything like that. So it surprised me."