Amber Heard has spoken out on Blake Lively’s sexual harassment lawsuit against Justin Baldoni.
As widely reported, 37-year-old Lively has taken legal action against her It Ends With Us co-star and director.
In the bombshell complaint, Lively has accused the 40-year-old Jane The Virgin star of creating a “hostile work environment” that caused her to suffer “severe emotional distress”.
It also states that her concerns about Baldoni predated the filming of the movie, which began in May 2023.
She has claimed that he added “gratuitous” nudity and sex scenes without her consent, asked “intrusive” questions about her and her husband Ryan Reynolds’ sex life, criticized her body and weight, improvised kiss scenes, and displayed a lack of boundaries.
The Gossip Girl star expressed her worries in an “all hands” meeting held on January 4, which was after a filming hiatus caused by the writers’ strike. It was attended by her husband, Baldoni, and his Wayfarer studio.
Lively’s attorneys said the star had made certain requests during the film, which included “no more improvising of kissing” and “no more personal, physical touching of, or sexual comments by, Mr. Baldoni or Mr. Heath to be tolerated by [Blake Lively] and/or any of her employees, as well as any female cast or crew without their express consent”.
Although the actress’ requests were reportedly agreed to, the lawsuit claims the actor and his production company orchestrated a smear campaign to destroy Lively’s reputation after filming had concluded.
In his statement, Baldoni’s lawyer Freedman argued that Wayfarer hired a crisis communications team, which included Melissa Nathan – the same woman Johnny Depp hired during his high profile trial defamation trial against Amber Heard – because Lively allegedly threatened not to show up to set and film promotions.
“The representatives of Wayfarer Studios still did nothing proactive nor retaliated, and only responded to incoming media inquiries to ensure balanced and factual reporting and monitored social activity,” he added, per NBC News.
Freedman also slammed the legal move as “another desperate attempt to ‘fix’ her negative reputation,” per PEOPLE.
Amber Heard, who was at the center of a ferocious social media campaign during her trial against her ex-husband, has now weighed in on Lively’s lawsuit.
Speaking to NBC News, the 38-year-old actress said: “Social media is the absolute personification of the classic saying ‘A lie travels halfway around the world before truth can get its boots on.’
“I saw this firsthand and up close. It’s as horrifying as it is destructive.”
In Heard’s case, a jury unanimously awarded the 61-year-old Pirates of the Caribbean star $5 million in punitive damages and $10 million in compensatory damages.
Depp applauded the outcome, while Heard said the decision “sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated”.
Lively shared a statement to The New York Times after filing her lawsuit, which read: “I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted.”
