A crisis communications specialist from Texas has filed a $7 million defamation lawsuit against actor Blake Lively. The specialist, Jed Wallace, and his company, Street Relations, took legal action after being implicated in Lively's legal battle with co-star and director Justin Baldoni over their film, “It Ends With Us.” Wallace asserts that he had no involvement in any campaign to tarnish Lively's reputation, as claimed in court documents.
Although Wallace is not a defendant in Lively's federal lawsuit against Baldoni and others, he was mentioned in the court papers and a New York Times article published when the legal disputes began in December. Lively's lawyers have dismissed Wallace's lawsuit as a retaliatory move in response to allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation that Lively filed with the California Civil Rights Department.
In a recent filing in Hays County, Texas, Lively accused Wallace of being used by publicists associated with Baldoni to orchestrate a digital campaign aimed at spreading negative content about her on social media and internet forums. However, Wallace's lawsuit maintains that neither he nor his company had any involvement in the alleged misconduct.
Following Lively's lawsuit against Baldoni, he retaliated by filing a defamation and extortion lawsuit against Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, seeking damages of at least $400 million. Baldoni also sued The New York Times for libel, while his former publicist filed a lawsuit supporting Lively's claims.
“It Ends With Us,” a film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, experienced commercial success but was marred by ongoing controversies related to its production and marketing. Despite grossing nearly $150 million domestically, the film's release was overshadowed by legal battles and allegations of misconduct.
