Actress Blake Lively is facing a lawsuit from crisis management firm Street Relations, which alleges that Lively implicated them in a smear campaign orchestrated by her co-star Justin Baldoni. Street Relations founder, Jed Wallace, is seeking $7 million in damages for defamation, claiming that Lively’s accusations of creating fake content on social media are false. The lawsuit has been filed in a Texas federal court.
Lively had previously withdrawn a petition in Texas state court to depose Wallace, claiming that he orchestrated a digital army to create negative content against her. Additionally, she may add Wallace as a defendant in a federal lawsuit filed against Baldoni and his company, Wayfarer Studios. Legal representatives for Lively have stated that Wallace’s lawsuit is a transparent retaliation for Lively speaking out against sexual harassment.
Wallace denies all allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation, or aiding and abetting in the defamation of Lively, stating that there was no existing contract between them. The lawsuit also includes claims made by crisis publicist Melissa Nathan that allegedly implicate Wallace in the smear campaign against Lively. Meanwhile, Baldoni’s legal team has denied any involvement in a coordinated attack against Lively.
Lawyers for Lively have dismissed Wallace’s lawsuit as a retaliation tactic against her for speaking out about harassment, and they are confident that the lawsuit will be dismissed. Wallace’s legal team has not yet commented on the matter.
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