A crisis management firm owner has filed a high-stakes defamation lawsuit against actress Blake Lively, escalating the legal battle surrounding the troubled production of “It Ends With Us.”
Jed Wallace, owner of Street Relations, filed the lawsuit in federal court in Texas on Tuesday. He seeks $7 million in damages and wants a court to clear his name of alleged involvement in an online smear campaign against Lively.
The lawsuit marks the fifth legal action in the ongoing conflict between Lively and film director Justin Baldoni. Wallace strongly denies participating in any retaliatory efforts and claims he has suffered significant damage to his professional reputation.
At the center of the dispute is a text message exchange between publicists Jen Abel and Melissa Nathan. Lively’s legal team claims the message suggests Wallace was hired to influence online discussions about the case, particularly on Reddit forums.
The legal battle stems from tensions during the film’s production. While initial work relationships were positive, the situation deteriorated quickly. Lively alleges she experienced sexual harassment on set, while Baldoni claims she tried to control the film’s direction.
Lively’s attorneys immediately responded to Wallace’s lawsuit, calling it another attempt to silence their client. “Another day, another state, another nine-figure lawsuit seeking to sue Ms. Lively ‘into oblivion’ for speaking out against sexual harassment,” they stated.
Wallace’s lawsuit comes at a strategic moment, just after Lively’s team dropped their plan to depose him in Hays County, Texas. His legal team argues that Lively lost legal protection by sharing her civil rights complaint with multiple media outlets.
The complaint explicitly states that Wallace and his company had no involvement in any alleged harassment or retaliation. He is seeking both compensatory and punitive damages, with punitive damages totaling at least $6 million.
As the legal drama continues, the future of “It Ends With Us” remains uncertain, with multiple lawsuits creating ongoing challenges for those involved in the film’s production.
