Blake Lively is thrilled Justin Baldoni decided to release unedited footage from “It Ends With Us,” because she says it only proves her point … that she was visibly uncomfortable with Baldoni’s advances during the scene.
Blake’s legal team tells TMZ, “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. Every frame of the released footage corroborates, to the letter, what Ms. Lively described in Paragraph 48 of her Complaint.”
Courtesy of Bryan Freedman
They continue, “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.”
While it might seem like they were merely actors acting out a scene that’s supposed to depict them falling love … Blake’s team points out none of the intimacy was discussed or choreographed. As they put it, “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.”
Blake leaning away from Justin in the scene was not acting, according to her lawyers. They say, “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. They will recognize her attempts at levity to try to deflect the unwanted touching. No woman should have to take defensive measures to avoid being touched by their employer without their consent.”
As we reported, Justin’s team released nearly 10 minutes of raw footage, but they believed it proved he did NOT sexually harass Blake during the scene.
TMZ.com
This latest development in the high-profile legal war comes on the heels of Blake Lively’s legal team responding last Thursday to Justin Baldoni’s lawsuit with a scathing statement, saying … “This is an age-old story: A woman speaks up with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation and the abuser attempts to turn the tables on the victim. This is what experts call DARVO. Deny. Attack. Reverse Victim Offender.”
Lively’s team says Justin and his production company are pulling out all the stops to try to “overwhelm the public’s ability to understand that what they are doing is retaliation against sexual harassment allegations.”
Taylor Swift notably popped up in Justin’s lawsuit — where he included a text he says shows Blake Lively comparing herself to Daenerys Targaryen, a major character on “Game of Thrones” and TS and husband Ryan Reynolds are her “dragons.”
TMZ.com
He’s suing Lively, Reynolds and Blake’s publicist, Leslie Sloane for defamation, civil extortion, interference with contractual relations and a slew of other allegations — and is seeking no less than $400 million in damages.
On the other side … Blake accused Baldoni of showing her naked photos and videos of women, talking about an alleged “pornography addiction,” discussing his sexual conquests and commenting on her weight. After filing her initial complaint, she sued Baldoni for mental anguish and emotional distress.
Blake’s lawyers tell us, “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. 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. We are continuing our efforts to require Mr. Baldoni and his associates to answer in court, under oath, rather than through manufactured media stunts.”