Justin Baldoni has accused Lively of instigating a feud between the cast in a defamation and extortion lawsuit against the actress filed on January 16. The director-actor has alleged that Lively instigated co-star Isabella Ferrer and others to “abandon” him.
The lawsuit highlights a change in Ferrer’s behavior, citing Baldoni’s previous praise for directing, according to People. The filing included screenshots of Ferrer thanking Baldoni for helping create a “comfortable, safe space” during his first feature. According to the lawsuit, this changed after Ferrer started spending time with Lively at promotional events, where she unfollowed Baldoni on social media.
Baldoni’s filing reads, “Apparently, Ferrer worked with Baldoni when Lively was not on set; this did not occur until Ferrer spent substantial time with Lively during film promotion, then Until Ferrer was forced to reject Baldoni’s warm words.”
This came after Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni on December 20, accusing him of creating a “hostile work environment” and engaging in unprofessional conduct. Lively’s complaint also alleges that Baldoni added an inappropriate scene with Ferrer and co-star Alex Neustadter that deviated from the initial script. The filing claims that after filming the scene, Baldoni made disturbing comments that Lively described as extremely disturbing.
Since the legal dispute with Ferrer arose, he has maintained silence. Other allies like Jenny Slate and Brandon Sklenaar have campaigned for Lively through public gestures, while Colleen Hoover has penned a few words. He praised Lively’s professionalism and character.
According to a previous interview with the outlet, Ferrer called Blake Lively “an angel” with a warm, “real” relationship; However, it is not clear how she stands amid the rising tensions in the ongoing controversy.
Also read: Blake Lively calls Justin Baldoni’s $400 million lawsuit against her and Ryan Reynolds an ‘abuser playbook’ strategy
