There’s a new update in the ongoing legal battle between ‘It Ends With Us’ co-stars Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively. This time, it is the director’s former agent, Danny Greenberg, who described Lively’s behaviour as feeling like “extortion.”
Deposition transcript reveals Blake’s behaviour
In a deposition transcript obtained by TMZ, Greenberg detailed his experience with the two stars, stating that the “cumulative behaviour and mounting pressure” from Lively “felt like extortion.” He claimed that it seemed as though if Baldoni didn’t meet Lively’s demand to take over creative control of the project, he would be sidelined.
About the lawsuit
Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni and his company, Wayfarer Studios, alleging that the actor-director sexually harassed her during the filming of ‘It Ends With Us’ and led an alleged ‘smear campaign’ against her. Both allegations were denied by Baldoni.
What others had to say about the allegations
In her deposition, Lively’s longtime makeup artist, Vivian Bakersaid that the alleged incidents of inappropriate behaviour occurred during the first phase of production. Meanwhile, Lively’s talent agent, Warren Zavala, testified that he was unaware of any situations that made the actress uncomfortable during the second phase of filming, though he did acknowledge complaints raised during the post-production process, when test screenings were underway.
Blake’s team reacts
In response to Greenberg’s deposition remarks, a spokesperson for Lively told TMZ, “The court already dismissed their so-called ‘taking over a movie’ claim, and this cherry-picked deposition quote from Baldoni’s prior agent before he was dropped from WME adds nothing new.”The spokesperson added, “In fact, the court’s dismissal even assumed their allegations were true for the sake of argument, and still held that they don’t amount to a valid claim under the law.”They concluded, “This is just a recycled distraction that has nothing to do with the actual sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit Baldoni and the Wayfarer defendants are facing.”Despite a major portion of Baldoni’s $400 million countersuit being dismissed in June, the case continues to unfold in court.
