HOUSTON, TEXAS – Actress Blake Lively faces a defamation lawsuit from crisis management firm Jed Wallace of Street Relations. The lawsuit alleges Lively’s involvement in a legal dispute with “It Ends With Us” director-star Justin Baldoni, claiming defamation related to social media content and harassment. Wallace seeks $7 million in damages and a court order validating his innocence in the matter.
Lively withdrew a petition seeking to depose Wallace in a Texas state court, potentially indicating plans to include him as a defendant in her existing lawsuit against Baldoni and his company, Wayfarer. The actress accuses Wallace of orchestrating a smear campaign against her through digital manipulation of social media content.
Lively’s legal team condemned the lawsuit as retaliation and a smear tactic to silence her allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation. The team asserts that Wallace’s involvement is an attempt to divert attention from the misconduct allegations against Baldoni and is confident that the lawsuit will not succeed.
Wallace refutes Lively’s claims, stating that she had no evidence to support her accusations against him. He denies any involvement in the alleged harassment and retaliation against the actress, highlighting the lack of a contractual relationship between them as grounds for dismissal of the lawsuit.
The lawsuit reveals that Wallace was hired by Baldoni and Wayfarer, alongside crisis PR executive Melissa Nathan, to handle the fallout from Lively’s allegations. Text messages implicating Wallace in a campaign to discredit Lively by seeding and influencing online forums have surfaced, but Nathan has yet to respond to requests for comment on the matter.
The legal battle between Lively, Baldoni, and Wallace underscores the complexities of managing public image and reputation in the entertainment industry. As the lawsuit unfolds, it shines a light on the power dynamics at play behind the scenes of Hollywood’s glittering facade.