Here’s everything we know about Justin Baldoni’s $400m lawsuit against Blake Lively

The saga continues

Even before the film was released back in August, fans were speculating about a behind-the-scenes rift between its stars.

Baldoni and Lively did not appear in any interviews together, and the red-carpet appearances of the pair were awkward.

Here is everything we know so far, following the news that Baldoni filed his own lawsuit.

What has happened previously?

Baldoni's lawsuit follows Lively filing a legal complaint last year accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment and a “hostile work environment” on the set of the film.

A lawyer for Baldoni said the claims were "completely false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious".

Lively then followed up with a lawsuit against the 40-year-old actor and the studio alleging a "multi-tiered plan" to ruin her reputation after she spoke out about her experience on set.

Her lawsuit came on the same day that Baldoni sued the New York Times for libel after their in-depth piece on him.

What is Baldoni suing Lively for?

Attorneys have filed a lawsuit in the Southern District of New York on behalf of Baldoni, and his production company Wayfarer Studios.

It is looking for at least $400 million in damages from Lively, including lost future income.

The suit alleges both Lively and Reynolds hijacked It Ends With Us' production and marketing. It also claims the pair manipulated media to smear Baldoni and other members of the production with false claims of harassment.

"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," the lawsuit claims.

"Then, when Lively and Reynolds' efforts failed to win them the acclaim they believed they so richly deserved, they turned their fury on their chosen scapegoat."

The suit additionally claims that Baldoni did not plan on taking legal action, but "has unequivocally left them with no choice, not only to set the record straight […] but also to put the spotlight on the parts of Hollywood that they have dedicated their careers to being the antithesis of".

The lawsuit also involves Taylor Swift, and accuses her and Lively of pressuring Baldoni into rewriting a "key scene" in It Ends With Us.

Has Lively responded to the new lawsuit?

Lively's lawyers have responded to Baldoni's new lawsuit and said it is "another chapter in the abuser playbook".

"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," they added.

"This is what experts call DARVO. Deny. Attack. Reverse Victim Offender."

They accused Wayfarer Studios, Baldoni's company, of filing "meritless lawsuits" to "overwhelm the public's ability to understand that what they are doing is retaliation against sexual harassment allegations".

"Their response to sexual harassment allegations: she wanted it, it's her fault," the statement continued.

"Their justification for why this happened to her: look what she was wearing. In short, while the victim focuses on the abuse, the abuser focuses on the victim."

They added: "The strategy of attacking the woman is desperate, it does not refute the evidence in Ms. Lively's complaint, and it will fail."