Justin Baldoni sues Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds in $400 million defamation battle

Justin Baldoni filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist on Thursday, Jan. 16. This filing comes shortly after Lively, in her complaint filed on December 20, accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment.

In his 179-page complaint, according to PEOPLE, Baldoni described Lively’s involvement in rewriting key movie scenes, which he claims was backed by pressure from Reynolds and Taylor Swift. During pre-production, Lively reportedly requested to rewrite a pivotal “rooftop scene” where her character, Lily Bloom, meets Baldoni’s character, Ryle Kincaid. Baldoni was initially hesitant but agreed to review her revisions.

According to Baldoni, Lively’s rewritten scene differed drastically from the original script. After Baldoni expressed mild resistance, Lively allegedly went silent for days before responding via text, saying his reaction “didn’t feel great” to her, Reynolds, and Taylor Swift—a close friend of the couple.