Blake Lively has alleged that Justin Baldoni claimed he "could speak to the dead" and told her he had communicated with her late father, according to her lawsuit against him.
Lively filed legal action against Baldoni, accusing him of inappropriate behavior on the set of their film It Ends With Us, where he served as both director and co-star.
The film’s release faced controversy after fans noticed apparent tension between the two leads, which Lively, 37, partly addressed through her lawsuit.
She accused Baldoni of making sexual remarks about the cast and crew, showing her explicit videos and images of women, and discussing his alleged past porn addiction.
Baldoni, 40, has denied the claims, arguing that Lively’s lawsuit is an attempt to rehabilitate her reputation after negative press following the film’s release.
In addition to sexual harassment claims, Lively’s complaint accused Baldoni of "other behaviors that were shocking and emotionally distressing," including claiming to have communicated with her "recently deceased" father, Ernie.
“For example, he claimed he could speak to the dead, and on several occasions told her that he had spoken to her dead father,” the lawsuit stated, as reported by The New York Times.
“It was off-putting and violative for Ms. Baldoni [sic] to claim a personal relationship with her recently deceased father.”
Ernie Lively, an actor and acting coach, passed away from cardiac complications at the age of 74 in June 2021, less than two years before filming began on It Ends With Us.
Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, has called Lively’s legal action “false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt.”
Freedman also claimed that Lively is trying to “fix her negative reputation” following rumors of diva-like behavior during production.
These alleged behaviors included “threatening to not show up to set [and] threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release,” according to Freedman.
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