In the lawsuit filed with a federal court in New York on Thursday, which also includes publisher Leslie Sloane, Baldoni and production company Wayfarer Studios write that they did not really want to sue, but that Lively's accusations "have not left them with any choice".
Furthermore, they write that the lawsuit, in addition to refuting Lively's accusations, also aims to focus on the parts of Hollywood "they have dedicated their careers to being the antithesis of".
There has been a storm surrounding the film "It Ends with Us" where lead actress Blake Lively accused her co-star and director Justin Baldoni of sexually harassing her during filming – and then, with the help of a PR firm, launched a smear campaign against Lively.
The New York Times investigated the case and published text messages that, according to the article, show how the smear campaign was planned.
On the same day that Lively filed her lawsuit against Baldoni for sexual harassment, Baldoni sued the New York Times for libel and claimed that the newspaper collaborated with Lively to smear him.
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