{"id":15317,"date":"2025-02-06T17:20:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T17:20:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/blake-lively-sued-for-defamation-by-pr-group-in-it-ends-with-us-feud-national\/"},"modified":"2025-02-06T17:20:02","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T17:20:02","slug":"blake-lively-sued-for-defamation-by-pr-group-in-it-ends-with-us-feud-national","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/blake-lively-sued-for-defamation-by-pr-group-in-it-ends-with-us-feud-national\/","title":{"rendered":"Blake Lively sued for defamation by PR group in \u2018It Ends With Us\u2019 feud – National"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The\u00a0It Ends With Us<\/em><\/a> legal battle continues \u2014 but this time it\u2019s between star Blake Lively<\/a> and a Texas crisis communications specialist and his company, Street Relations.<\/p>\n

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Jed Wallace and Street Relations are suing the actor for defamation after Lively allegedly pulled them into her legal fight with co-star and director Justin Baldoni<\/a> over the film.<\/p>\n

Wallace filed a $7-million lawsuit in federal court in Texas on Tuesday, stating that he had nothing to do with any campaign to harm Lively\u2019s reputation as she alleged in a court filing from December 2024<\/a>. He is also seeking a court order stating that he didn\u2019t engage in harassment or retaliation against Lively.<\/p>\n

This came after the\u00a0Gossip Girl\u00a0<\/em>actor filed a petition on Jan. 21 seeking a deposition from Wallace, who Lively alleges was used by publicists working with Baldoni to weaponize \u201ca digital army around the country, including in New York and Los Angeles, to create, seed, manipulate, and advance disparaging content that appeared to be authentic on social media platforms and internet chat forums.\u201d According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lively\u2019s petition<\/a> seeking a court order to depose Wallace was dropped on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

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Wallace is not among the defendants in Lively\u2019s federal lawsuit against Baldoni<\/a>, his production company and publicists, in which she alleges sexual and other harassment during the production and a campaign to smear her after it. The crisis specialist is named in the court papers and the New York Times story published on the day the series of legal battles began in December, when Lively filed a complaint.<\/p>\n

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Wallace\u2019s 10-page lawsuit says neither he nor Street Relations \u201chad anything to do with the alleged sexual harassment, retaliation, failure to investigate or aiding and abetting the alleged harassment or alleged retaliation,\u201d according to court documents.<\/a> (Global News has not independently viewed the documents.)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe statements of fact, actual or implied, of and concerning Plaintiffs in the Precursor and CRD Complaint are false, defamatory, made with either negligence or \u2018actual malice\u2019 and have caused millions of dollars in reputational harm including both general and special damages through emotional harm (Wallace), actual damages and real and projected loss of business (Wallace and Street) in an amount that exceeds $1,000,000,\u201d Wallace\u2019s filing read.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAs Lively later admitted she knew of no facts to support the allegations,\u201d Charles Babcock, a lawyer for Wallace, wrote in the complaint. \u201cNeither Wallace nor Street had anything to do with the alleged sexual harassment, retaliation, failure to investigate or aiding and abetting the alleged harassment or alleged retaliation. Neither could they have breached a contract with Lively because no such contract exists.\u201d<\/p>\n

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In response to the lawsuit, Lively\u2019s legal team said, \u201cAnother day, another state, another nine-figure lawsuit seeking to sue Ms. Lively \u2018into oblivion\u2019 for speaking out against sexual harassment and retaliation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not just a publicity stunt \u2014 it is transparent retaliation in response to allegations contained within a sexual harassment and retaliation complaint that Ms. Lively filed with the California Civil Rights Department,\u201d her lawyers added in their statement to media. \u201cWhile this lawsuit will be dismissed, we are pleased that Mr. Wallace has finally emerged from the shadows, and that he too will be held accountable in federal court.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Wallace\u2019s lawyer Babcock released a statement in response to Lively\u2019s legal team. He referred to Wallace as \u201ca very private person, who has never met or spoken to Ms. Lively. Ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe has not engaged in a smear campaign against her at any point in time. The decision to file this lawsuit to rightfully protect himself and his family was made after Ms. Lively not only filed against him first in Texas but, indicated she intended to name him in yet another lawsuit,\u201d Babcock said.<\/p>\n

The ongoing legal battle between the It Ends With Us <\/em>co-stars began after Lively sued Baldoni<\/a>\u00a0and he filed his own federal lawsuit<\/a> against her and her husband, Deadpool<\/em> star Ryan Reynolds<\/a>, accusing them of defamation and extortion and seeking at least $400 million in damages.<\/p>\n