Justin Baldoni Sues Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds for $400 Million, Alleges They Sought to ‘Destroy’ Him

variety.com:

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Justin Baldoni sued Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds on Thursday, alleging that the Hollywood power couple hijacked his film, “It Ends With Us,” and sought to destroy him with false allegations of sexual harassment.

In the 179-page complaint, filed in the Southern District of New York, Baldoni and his publicists accuse Lively and Reynolds of civil extortion, defamation and invasion of privacy.

The suit seeks at least $400 million in damages. The lawsuit marks the latest salvo in the all-out war between the “It Ends With Us” co-stars, as each seeks the upper hand in the contest over public opinion. “At bottom, this is not a case about celebrities sniping at each other in the press,” Baldoni’s lawsuit states. “This is a case about two of the most powerful stars in the world deploying their enormous power to steal an entire film right out of the hands of its director and production studio… When Plaintiffs have their day in court, the jury will recognize that even the most powerful celebrity cannot bend the truth to her will.” Lively filed her own lawsuit against Baldoni, producer Jamey Heath and publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel on Dec.

31, 10 days after lodging her initial complaint against them with the California Civil Rights Department. Lively accused Baldoni and others of orchestrating a clandestine media smear campaign against her, in retaliation for her complaints about sexual harassment on the set of the film.