Movies

Abuser Playbook

BBG News

In my role as a devoted admirer, I’d like to share a rephrased version of a recent event: My legal representative has delivered a vigorous reaction to the assertions made by Blake Lively regarding the multimillion-dollar lawsuit she finds herself in, filed by none other than Justin Baldoni.

On Thursday, Baldoni and his representatives filed a defamation lawsuit against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds. They allege that Lively devised a plan to sabotage their careers and tarnish their reputation by spreading baseless allegations of sexual harassment against them.

As a devoted admirer, I’m sharing exclusive information from DailyMail.com that alleges Lively and Reynolds have been accused of leveraging their collective celebrity influence to take control over the film “It Ends With Us,” a project I had the privilege to co-star in and direct alongside Baldoni, under questionable circumstances.

The newest defamation lawsuit marks another complex turn in a legal conflict that initiated close to the holiday season. In this case, Lively filed a suit against Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment and fostering an unpleasant work environment during the movie’s production. However, he has firmly refuted these claims.

Regarding Justin Baldoni’s recent lawsuit, Lively’s legal team responded with a passionate comment to DailyMail.com, stating: “Justin Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their allies’ latest lawsuit is just another tactic from an abuser’s guidebook.

Currently, attorney Bryan Freedman, representing Baldoni, has retorted forcefully, refuting the “disturbingly untrue sexual accusations” made by Lively about his client, as reported by Deadline.

As a dedicated follower, I’d rephrase it as: “Following my clients’ extensive lawsuit with close to 200 pages of indisputable facts and concrete evidence that discredited their baseless claims of a smear campaign by furnishing manipulated communications to the New York Times, Blake and her legal team are left with only one desperate tactic – to intensify their malicious falsehoods regarding Mr. Baldoni, this time by resurfacing unfounded sexual allegations.” This maintains the first-person perspective while making it more conversational and easier to read.

He stated that it’s absurd for Ms. Lively to believe she can harm Mr. Baldoni’s career by publicly damaging his reputation, all while denying him and his team the opportunity to respond or defend themselves.

As a devoted follower, I’d rephrase it this way: “Mr. Baldoni never publicly criticized Ms. Lively for her numerous mistakes during filming; instead, he handled all her issues professionally, even though we had fundamental differences. I myself was determined to do things differently and maintain harmony, a commitment that Ms. Lively herself acknowledged in her lawsuit.” Freedman underscored this point further.

Beyond upholding our clients against Blake’s power, privilege, and deceitful tactics, we will now intensify our efforts. Our focus is not only on defending our clients but also advocating for those in the Domestic Violence community who are unjustly suffering. This struggle occurs as Blake persists with her personal crusade, which seems more self-serving and selfish, in the media.

Freedman’s recent comments are a rebuttal to Lively’s legal team, who claimed: ‘It’s an old pattern: A woman presents solid proof of sexual harassment and retaliation, and the accused tries to shift blame onto the accuser. Experts refer to this as DARVO – Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender.’

As a loyal follower, I’d like to express my understanding that Wayfarer Studios, co-founded by Baldoni, reportedly chose to leverage its billionaire co-founder’s resources in order to disseminate press releases, file groundless lawsuits, and issue veiled threats of legal action. The intention behind these actions seems to be to drown out public comprehension, making it difficult for people to grasp that their behavior is a response to accusations of sexual harassment.

In a statement, Lively’s lawyers countered: ‘They are attempting to divert attention from themselves by wrongfully accusing Ms. Lively of taking creative control and pushing away the cast from Mr. Baldoni. The proof will reveal that the cast and others had their own unfavorable encounters with Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer.’

The evidence further reveals that Sony requested Ms. Lively to manage their portion of the movie, which subsequently got chosen for distribution and turned out to be extremely successful.

‘In their explanation regarding the sexual harassment accusations, they claimed that she desired it and held her responsible. They attributed the incident to her attire.’

In essence, while the victim concentrates on the mistreatment, the perpetrator focuses on the victim. This tactic of assaulting the woman is a last-ditch effort, it doesn’t disprove the evidence presented in Ms. Lively’s accusation, and it will ultimately fall short.

In Baldoni’s recent legal action, he claims that Lively entered the production process even though it is alleged that she had not yet read the book, with filming already progressing significantly.

It is alleged that the hijacking escalated to the point where Baldoni and his family were forced into the basement following their arrival at the red carpet event for the movie premiere on August 6, 2024, as Lively insisted he was not allowed to be present.

As a die-hard fan, I found myself being ushered by security personnel, who seemed unusually alert and on high-alert, down to the basement of the building, as if there was a potential risk of “escape” in Baldoni’s entourage.

At that location, they found themselves corralled within a temporary pen fashioned from the stock of nearby concession stands. The space was equipped with collapsible tables and chairs, forming a square layout.

In that spot, they got confined to an improvised enclosure made out of goods from the concession stand shelves, furnished merely with foldable tables and seating arranged in a square formation.

Beyond starting the filming without first reading the book, the lawsuit asserts that she initially resisted the idea of having to read it altogether.

Although the book’s theme was quite grim, reports suggest that Lively apparently didn’t treat it with due solemnity during the publicity tour – she even created a cocktail named after the abusive main male character.

According to this document, it provides proof of the ‘unawareness’ or ‘lack of sensitivity’ that ignited a ‘spontaneous reaction’ against the actress last summer.

Additionally, she declined the opportunity to engage with the charitable organization advocating against domestic violence, which she was associated with during her movie promotion.

Three weeks back, accusations of sexual harassment against Lively were initially brought up in a New York Times article. This piece included text messages exchanged between his publicists, which they now claim were selectively presented and devoid of context to give the impression that Baldoni was masterminding a ‘defamatory campaign’ against the actress.

To put it in my fangirl terms, let me spill the tea: The actor claims that Lively herself was behind the scenes, masterminding a smear campaign! Apparently, she’d been collaborating with her personal publicist, Leslie Sloane, and even reaching out to the New York Times for months before that damning article saw the light of day.

Baldoni has filed a lawsuit against the outlet, seeking $250 million, alleging libel and defamation. In his court documents, he claims the article was based on Lively’s biased account.

As a lifestyle advisor, I find it essential to share an update on a recent development in the industry. In this case, Lively has filed a cross-complaint against another party, and this action is noteworthy due to its timing: The papers were served during the chaotic evacuation process prompted by the catastrophic wildfires that hit Los Angeles last week. Baldoni and his representatives found themselves in the midst of this disaster while attempting to leave their homes, only to receive these documents.

Vividly, she pointed out that she was securely settled in New York, despite dispatching process servers amidst the raging fires.

The home of Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman was among the casualties of the Palisades Fire.

The documentation further explains that Baldoni’s representatives, Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, faced a hailstorm of death threats and abusive comments following the public disclosure of Lively’s accusations, some of which contained hate speech directed towards Jews.

A representative from the industry shared with DailyMail.com, “Given what we now understand, the main query that arises is: Why did Blake choose to act in this manner?

As a die-hard fan, I can’t help but ponder over two possibilities that seem to make sense: either she underestimated the opposition’s resolve to retaliate, or else she was presented with manipulated and falsified communications from her very own team of counselors.

It’s intriguing to observe how she manages herself from here on, given that the public now possesses the uncensored conversations in their entirety.

According to a statement they made only to DailyMail.com, Nathan and Abel characterized the effects of Lively’s accusations as “shattering” and leveled claims against her for being abusive towards them.

The unfortunate reality is that we’re compelled to address this prolonged legal dispute, riddled with verifiable falsehoods, during a time when we’re dealing with the heart-wrenching crisis affecting California, our home.

Five months past, Miss Lively decided to market a movie addressing domestic violence, but her approach sparked immediate, spontaneous criticism because of her personal scandals making headlines.

Instead of taking accountability, she opted to unfairly accuse us. This deliberate act of vilification by Ms. Lively and her associates involved providing The New York Times with manipulated, misrepresented, and selective text messages, which were intended to portray herself as a victim. This series of actions has triggered a sequence of events that have caused irreparable damage.

It’s important to note that Ms. Lively and her team deliberately orchestrated a negative media campaign aimed at eliciting unwarranted public empathy, primarily due to their own errors.

For the past month, we’ve been subjected to death threats, appalling harassment, and hateful racist remarks disguised as anti-Semitic insults. This has occurred because she chose to blame us for the failures of her movie promotion strategy, a decision that earned her substantial profits.

‘By submitting this document, we draw back the veil on how individuals with entitlement use power, fear, and wealth to tear down, threaten, and harass those who stand against them.’

The latest submission offers a new perspective on Lively’s actions while filming, revealing an instance where the actress apparently warned Baldoni by highlighting her influential contacts in the industry and suggesting potential complications for him if he didn’t comply.

In a heated discussion about revising a movie scene on the rooftop, Lively is said to have likened herself to Daenerys Targaryen (Khaleesi) from Game of Thrones, referring to the characters as ‘my dragons’.

Baldoni states that, under less pressure, he likely would’ve consented to her recommendations; however, he found her aggressive method surprising.

In response, the suit claims that she attempted to make Baldoni publicly admit fault during the uproar, but when he declined, she devised a plan to eliminate him from the entertainment world entirely by fabricating accusations of sexual misconduct.

As a lifestyle enthusiast, I must admit that “It Ends With Us” was undeniably one of the year’s most buzzed-about films upon its August release. However, the conversation surrounding it wasn’t exactly what I had hoped for – unfortunately, it seemed to stir up more controversy than expected.

Additionally, as part of the court documents, you’ll find the complete transcripts of text exchanges between Baldoni’s representatives. The lawsuit alleges that these conversations were acquired when Sloane took Abel’s phone after leaving her PR position and manipulated parts of them for presentation.

The documents enclose full transcripts of our discussions, where you’ll find additional statements that challenge Lively’s assertion of a planned defamation scheme.

The latest legal action follows several back-and-forth disputes between Lively and Baldoni, stemming from a significant disagreement regarding “It Ends With Us.” Lively has faced allegations of appropriating this project.

Based on the recent court filing, the criticism she faced during the movie’s promotional period was primarily due to her seemingly insensitive self-promotion of her personal brands, such as a liquor firm, rather than being orchestrated by a defamatory campaign.

In a different wording, the romantic storyline revolves around the character Lily Bloom, portrayed by Blake Lively, who unfortunately finds herself trapped in a harmful relationship involving Justin Baldoni’s character, Ryle Kincaid.

A disputed issue seemed to be the approach to marketing the film, as Lively was said to favor a more optimistic portrayal, while Baldoni advocated for a focus that emphasized the theme of abuse.

With continued whispers about the dispute, public sentiment on social media gradually shifted against Lively, who has faced ongoing criticism for her comments during promotional interviews for the film.

In my role as a humble devotee, I found myself under scrutiny following an interview I conducted with my fellow cast members from “It Ends With Us.” Regrettably, I seemed to have overlooked the profound message the movie aimed to convey, instead focusing on more light-hearted topics.

A new disagreement occurred when Baldoni inquired about the weight Lively had before a scene where he was meant to lift her.

In a recent report, it’s stated that the prominent actress felt ‘body-shamed’, while people around Baldoni clarified that he was merely taking precautions for his injured back, not intending any form of body criticism.

In contrast to numerous other projects that struggle due to controversies impacting their box office performance, It Ends With Us managed to become a box office success, even with mixed opinions from critics.

More to Follow…  

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2025-01-19 06:04

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