Blake Lively sued by Texas PR firm in latest 'It Ends With Us' lawsuit

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US actor Blake Lively poses on the red carpet upon arrival to attend the UK gala screening for "It ends with us" at the Odeon Luxe in Leicester square, central London on August 8, 2024. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP) (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via G

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TEXAS - On Tuesday, owner Jed Wallace and his Texas-based crisis PR firm, Street Relations Inc., filed a lawsuit in Hays County, Texas against actress Blake Lively for defamation after she named both parties in her December civil complaint against "It Ends With Us" co-star Justin Baldoni.

In the December complaint, Lively alleges Wallace was used by publicists working with Baldoni to weaponize "a 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."

Another "It Ends With Us" Lawsuit

What It Says:

Wallace’s lawsuit says neither he nor his company "had anything to do with the alleged sexual harassment, retaliation, failure to investigate or aiding and abetting the alleged harassment or alleged retaliation."

Wallace and his PR firm are represented by Texas law firm Jackson Walker LLP.

Lively did not name the parties in her formal lawsuit, but Wallace says the damage was done after naming him and Street Relations in her initial complaint with the State of California Rights Department.

According to court documents, Lively filed a petition for deposition in Hays County against Wallace on Jan. 21. She alleged she believed he was a subcontractor for a PR firm Justin Baldoni is accused of hiring for the "smear campaign" against her. In the lawsuit Wallace filed, it says Lively later filed to dismiss the petition because, "she knew of no facts to support the allegations against Wallace or Street."

According to the documents, Lively's claims "made with either negligence or ‘actual malice’" 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."

Wallace and Street Relations seek punitive damages in an amount of "not less than $6,000,000." 

What they're saying:

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Lively's legal team said, "Another day, another state, another nine-figure lawsuit seeking to sue Ms. Lively ‘into oblivion’ for speaking out against sexual harassment and retaliation. This is not just a publicity stunt — 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. While 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."

Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni Controversy

The backstory:

In December, Lively detailed allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation, intentional affliction of emotional distress, negligence and more against Baldoni and film producer Jamey Heath in a complaint first filed with the California Civil Rights department and later in federal court.

In response, Baldoni filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively and her husband, "Deadpool" star Ryan Reynolds, accusing them of civil extortion and defamation.

Baldoni's team also released unedited footage from the set of "It Ends With Us" that they claim refutes Lively's previous accusations of sexual harassment. However, the actress's legal team claims the footage backs up Lively's allegations.

After the release, Lively's legal team demanded a gag order be issued against Baldoni's lawyer.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 06: Justin Baldoni attends the "It Ends With Us" New York Premiere at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on August 06, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images)

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In a report about the lawsuit Lively filed in December in New York against Baldoni, The Times referred to private text messages and emails that were included in her complaint. The complaint alleged the messages showed Baldoni and his business partner were working with a crisis public relations expert to tarnish her reputation. That same day, Baldoni filed a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times in Los Angeles, saying the newspaper relied on Lively's "unverified and self-serving narrative."

His former publicist, Stephanie Jones, also filed a lawsuit in December accusing Baldoni's crisis PR team of "waging a coordinated effort to undermine her" and to deflect blame for what she calls a smear campaign that targeted Lively.

Lively and Baldoni have a trial date for her lawsuit in March 2026.

"It Ends With Us," an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel that begins as a romance but takes a dark turn into domestic violence, was released in August, exceeding box office expectations with a domestic total of nearly $150 million. The success was followed by near constant turmoil over its production and promotion.