🔴 Website 👉 https://u-s-news.com/
Telegram 👉 https://t.me/usnewscom_channel
Blake Lively had a scathing response to Justin Baldoni releasing raw footage from the set of their movie “It Ends With Us.”
In a statement provided to The Post, Lively’s legal team said the video that Baldoni, 40, shared on Tuesday “corroborates, to the letter,” her allegations of sexual harassment rather than vindicating him, as his team have claimed.
“Justin Baldoni and his lawyer may hope that this latest stunt will get ahead of the damaging evidence against him, but the video itself is damning,” the statement began. “Every frame of the released footage corroborates, to the letter, what Ms. Lively described in Paragraph 48 of her Complaint.”
Lively’s lawsuit alleges that during a “slow dance scene,” Baldoni “leaned forward and slowly dragged his lips from her ear and down her neck as he said, ‘it smells so good.’” In the footage that Baldoni’s lawyer shared on Tuesday, which appears to show the “slow dance scene” in question, Lively can be heard joking that she’s “probably getting spray tan on” Baldoni, who laughs and replies, “It smells good.”
Lively then replies, “Well, it’s not that. It’s my body makeup.”
“The video shows Mr. Baldoni repeatedly leaning in toward Ms. Lively, attempting to kiss her, kissing her forehead, rubbing his face and mouth against her neck, flicking her lip with his thumb, caressing her, telling her how good she smells, and talking with her out of character,” Lively’s lawyers continued.
“Every moment of this was improvised by Mr. Baldoni with no discussion or consent in advance, and no intimacy coordinator present. Mr. Baldoni was not only Ms. Lively’s co-star, but the director, the head of studio and Ms. Lively’s boss.”
The “Gossip Girl” alum’s legal team went on to state that the footage is evidence that Lively was the victim of “unwanted touching” at the hands of Baldoni.
“The video shows Ms. Lively leaning away and repeatedly asking for the characters to just talk. Any woman who has been inappropriately touched in the workplace will recognize Ms. Lively’s discomfort,” the statement said. “They will recognize her attempts at levity to try to deflect the unwanted touching.”
Lively’s lawyers added, “No woman should have to take defensive measures to avoid being touched by their employer without their consent.”
The actress’ representatives also blasted Baldoni for releasing the footage in the first place, calling it “an unethical attempt to manipulate the public.”
“This matter is in active litigation in federal court. Releasing this video to the media, rather than presenting it as evidence in court, is another example of an unethical attempt to manipulate the public,” the statement said. “It is also a continuation of their harassment and retaliatory campaign. While they are focused on misleading media narratives, we are focused on the legal process.”
The statement concluded, “We are continuing our efforts to require Mr. Baldoni and his associates to answer in court, under oath, rather than through manufactured media stunts.”
Baldoni’s team, meanwhile, has promised to create a website where they will release more videos along with “correspondence” they believe corroborates their client’s claims against Lively.
Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman told The Post: “Justin Baldoni and team have nothing to hide. And this video, once more proves this. Justin and team have the right to defend themselves with the truth and this is what we will be continuing to show with the upcoming website containing all correspondence as well as relevant videos that directly quash her claims.”
Representatives for the “Jane the Virgin” vet also shared a statement included on a title card at the top of the “It Ends With Us” footage.
“The scene in question was designed to show the two characters falling in love and longing to be close to one another,” the title card read. “Both actors are clearly behaving well within the scope of the scene and with mutual respect and professionalism.”
“These are all three takes filmed in sequence.”
Tuesday’s back-and-forth comes on the heels of Baldoni filing a $400 million countersuit against Lively, and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, after the actress sued him for $250 million, alleging he caused her to suffer “severe emotional distress and pain, humiliation, embarrassment, belittlement, frustration and mental anguish” in addition to lost wages.
Lively previously filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Commission, in which she claimed Baldoni sexually harassed her while making “It Ends With Us.” She also spoke about those claims in an interview with the New York Times.
In addition to suing Lively, Baldoni has sued the New York Times for $250 million, for libel and false light invasion of privacy over the Dec. 21 article on Lively’s sexual harassment allegations.