Justin Baldoni's legal team claim exposed Blake Lively texts lack 'critical context' amid sexual harassment lawsuit
Justin Baldoni's legal team have spoken out on the texts messaged disclosed in the lawsuit brought about by Blake Lively.
After starring together in It Ends With Us, which was released earlier this year, it appears Baldoni and Lively's relationship has been far from smooth sailing.
Speculation mounted surrounding the pair's alleged 'friction', while Lively also found herself being slammed online during the film's press tour.
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Lively has since filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, with the Gossip Girl star accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment - which his team categorically denies - and 'other behaviors that were shocking and emotional distressing', as per the complaint.
The lawsuit included alleged text messages between Baldoni and his team.
It’s understood Lively’s legal aid acquired text messages sent between Jennifer Abel of PR firm RWA Communications, Melissa Nathan of The Agency Group PR, and Baldoni as a result of a subpoena.
Abel, according to the lawsuit, sent one message that suggested the It Ends With Us director 'wants to feel like she [Lively] can be buried'.
The Hollywood Reporter has verified a response Abel issued to this on Facebook in a now-deleted post.
She wrote: "What the cherry picked messages don’t include, although not shockingly as it doesn’t fit the narrative, is that there was no ‘smear’ implemented.
"No negative press was ever facilitated, no social combat plan, although we were prepared for it as it’s our job to be ready for any scenario. But we didn’t have to implement anything because the internet was doing the work for us.
"Sure we talked about it, contemplated if we needed certain things, flagged accounts that we needed to monitor, worked with a social team to help us stay on top of the narrative so we could act quickly if needed, and yes, we rejoiced and joked in the fact that fans were recognizing our clients heart and work without us having to do anything but keep our heads down and focus on positive interviews for our client."
The legal representative continued: "As the texts show, we sophomorically revelled and again, joked, privately to each other about the internets feedback to the woman whose team was making our lives incredibly difficult over the course of the campaign. I’m human.
"The long hours, months of preparation, on top of my day to day scope … it felt good to see that although we were prepared, we didn’t have to do anything over the top to protect our client."
And Abel, in part, concluded: "I was notified at the start of the [marketing] campaign that the opposing team had been planting horrible stories about my client as a ‘fail safe’ if my client did not comply with the demands set forth for the campaign.
“Which is why we brought on [a crisis team], as it’s not something that I do. My sole job was to put together interviews, screening opportunities and speaking opportunities for my client in support of the film, a standard scope of work. I did my job. Now what kind of woman would work against another woman who was a victim of all the things being claimed? Thanks for asking.
"After reviewing the evidence, facts, hard proof that countered every single thing that was being claimed and demanded at the start of production, I made a choice to stand by my client of almost 5 years, who had dedicated his life to the equal treatment of others, especially women."
Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, told US Weekly: "TAG PR operated as any other crisis management firm would when hired by a client experiencing threats by two extremely powerful people with unlimited resources
"The standard scenario planning TAG PR drafted proved unnecessary as audiences found Lively’s own actions, interviews and marketing during the promotional tour distasteful, and responded organically to that which the media themselves picked up on."
He concluded: "It’s ironic that the New York Times, through their effort to ‘uncover’ an insidious PR effort, played directly into the hands of Lively’s own dubious PR tactics by publishing leaked personal text exchanges that lack critical context - the very same tactics she’s accusing the firm of implementing."
UNILAD has reached out to Lively's representatives for comment.
Topics: Celebrity, Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni
Callum Jones