Blake Lively has filed a sexual harassment complaint against her It Ends with Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni.

Lively claims in an 80-page complaint filed Dec. 20 and obtained by TODAY.com that Baldoni created a hostile workplace on the film’s set. The document states that the actress later engaged in “astroturfing” – defined in the complaint as the fraudulent practice of staging a smear campaign under the guise of publicity – as well as a coordinated public relations effort to “destroy” her reputation. .

Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, responded to Lively’s claims in a statement to TODAY.com, calling them “completely false, outrageous and intentionally suggestive.”

In her complaint, Lively claims that filming “It Ends with Us” became so unpleasant that an “all-hands meeting,” including her husband Ryan Reynolds, was held to address the alleged “inappropriate behavior.” by Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath.

During the meeting, according to the complaint, Baldoni and Heath were asked to stop showing Lively and others nude videos and images of women and to stop discussing their past “pornography addiction” as well as their “personal experiences with sex” with them and others.

Lively also asked Baldoni and Heath to stop describing their own “genitals” in front of others.

The complaint goes on to say that Lively made a request – which Sony Pictures, the film’s distributor, reportedly agreed to at the time – that no additional sex scenes or “on-camera climaxes” be added to the film that went beyond that , which she had previously approved film, among other requests regarding the film’s scenes depicting intimacy.

During the meeting, the complaint states that Lively also raised other topics on the film’s set, asking Baldoni to stop saying he was “talking” to her late father, actor Ernie Lively, and that he stop talking to her to “urge” to have a conversation. their religious beliefs.

Lively’s complaint also states that after the film’s release, Baldoni engaged in a “social manipulation campaign” to “destroy” her reputation, which caused her and her family “severe emotional distress.”

Lively’s lawsuit also included numerous excerpts of texts and emails from Baldoni’s team, obtained through a subpoena, in which she allegedly laid out a plan to damage Lively’s reputation.

In a statement to TODAY.com, Lively said, “I hope my legal action will help lift the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak out about wrongdoing and protect others who may be targeted.” become.”

Lively’s complaint comes months after rumors surfaced of a behind-the-scenes feud between Lively and Baldoni during the promotion of It Ends with Us.

In a statement to TODAY.com, Freedman, the attorney for Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and all of their representatives, called Lively’s lawsuit a “desperate attempt” to restore her reputation.

“It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false allegations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and their representatives in another desperate attempt to ‘repair’ their negative reputation created by their own statements.” actions during the campaign for the film; “Interviews and press activity observed publicly, in real time and unedited, allowing the Internet to generate its own views and opinions,” Freedman said in the statement.

“These allegations are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with the intent to publicly offend and rehash a narrative in the media,” Freedman continued in his statement.

“Wayfarer Studios made the decision to proactively hire a crisis manager prior to the film’s marketing campaign, working with its own representative at Jonesworks, employed by Stephanie Jones, due to the numerous demands and threats made by Ms. Lively during production , including: She threatened not to show up on set and threatened not to promote the film, ultimately causing it to fail during release if her demands were not met.

Baldoni’s lawyers claim that Lively’s team allegedly made up stories about Baldoni for the press before marketing the film even began.

“This was another reason why Wayfarer Studios made the decision to hire a crisis expert to begin internal scenario planning for the case they needed to address,” the statement said.

“Wayfarer Studios representatives have still not taken any proactive action or taken any retaliatory action and have only responded to incoming media inquiries to ensure balanced and factual reporting and to monitor social activity.”

“What is conspicuously missing from the carefully selected correspondence is evidence that no proactive action was taken with the media or otherwise; only internal scenario planning and private correspondence for strategy development, which is standard procedure for PR professionals,” the statement concludes.

TODAY.com also reached out to lawyers for Lively and Sony Pictures, which distributed the film, for comment on Baldoni’s response to the complaint.

During the promotion of It Ends with Us, which hit theaters in August 2024, rumors of tension between Lively and Baldoni began to emerge.

The film, based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel of the same name, tells the story of Lily Bloom, a florist (Lively) who falls in love with a charming neurosurgeon named Ryle (Baldoni), only to find herself in an abusive relationship to be trapped.

TODAY.com has reached out to Hoover for comment.

After social media users noticed that Baldoni didn’t pose with Lively — or any of the film’s other stars — at the film’s August 6 premiere in New York, rumors of tension among the cast began circulating online.

The chatter escalated when fans noticed that Lively and author Hoover were following each other and other cast members — but not Baldoni — on Instagram.

Baldoni also did not take part in joint promotional events with the film’s actors, preferring to conduct his interviews alone with the media. Meanwhile, Lively often met with other cast members to speak to the media, including in a high-profile Vanity Fair interview that featured Lively and five other actors from the film — but not Baldoni.

Lively and Baldoni never publicly commented on their alleged feud, and Baldoni particularly praised Lively for her “intelligent and creative” contributions to his film during an Aug. 8 appearance on TODAY.

Baldoni had also suggested Lively direct the sequel to It Ends With Us.

“I think there are better people for this,” Baldoni told Entertainment Tonight when asked if he would be interested in directing the next film. “I think Blake Lively is ready to direct. I think so.”

However, as rumors of the rift between the two escalated, Lively faced a public backlash online from those who criticized her behavior in promotional interviews for the film, claiming it contradicted the film’s serious subject matter.

The former “Gossip Girl” star also faced criticism online for launching a new hair care line while promoting the film.

Meanwhile, author Hoover came under fire from online critics who accused her of romanticizing domestic violence in her book.

Brandon Sklenar, who plays Atlas, the former high school friend of Blake Lively’s character Lily, addressed the numerous controversies surrounding the film in a lengthy statement on Instagram on August 20. In his statement, he defended Lively, Hoover and other women involved in the film from online attacks.

In his message, Sklenar wrote that whatever may or may not have happened “behind the scenes” during the making of the film “should not distract from our intentions in making this film.”

“It was disheartening to see how much negativity was projected online,” he wrote.