Justin Baldoni is calling out Blake Lively for allegedly naming a drink after the domestic abuser from their film.
Baldoni, 40, has made several accusations in his 179-page lawsuit against his It Ends With Us costar Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, their publicist Leslie Sloane, and Sloane's PR firm Vision PR, Inc.
Baldoni is seeking $400 million in damages over alleged civil extortion, defamation, false light invasion of privacy, breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing, intentional interference with contractual relations, and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage.
In a shocking revelation, Baldoni has also claimed in his suit that the actress named a drink after the drama's domestic abuser during a premiere afterparty.
Baldoni and his co-plaintiffs—producer Jamey Heath, publicist Jennifer Abel, and crisis publicist Melissa Nathan—are highlighting Lively's demeanour during the film's promotion as "disastrous marketing efforts and tone-deaf press interviews and appearances."
Her attempts "backfired and led to widespread criticism of Lively’s promotional approach to the film’s highly sensitive focus on domestic violence," the lawsuit reads, per People Magazine.
One such example in the suit was of a drink that was served at Lively's "premiere afterparty" named "Ryle You Wait," referring to the character of the domestic abuser Ryle Kincaid in the film (which was essayed by Baldoni).
Baldoni's lawyers called the misconduct "harmful and irresponsible," and mentioned in the suit that "social media commenters quickly pointed out that [Lively's] tie-in of her alcohol beverages was in particularly poor taste, given the World Health Organization estimates that 55% of domestic violence incidents are linked to alcohol."
Lively's Betty Booze alcohol brand and sparkling mixer company Betty Buzz were said to be ingredients of the "Ryle You Wait" drink, per a since-deleted Instagram video that was screen-recorded and shared to Reddit.
The video is said to have been of a drink menu listing that the "Ryle You Wait" cocktail was mixed with bourbon, Lively's Betty Buzz ginger beer, apple cider, cardamom bitters, cinnamon, and an apple florette garnish.
Baldoni's move comes after Lively stepped forward with a sexual harassment lawsuit against her costar and producer.
Meanwhile, Baldoni has also sued The New York Times alleging libel in response to its December 21, 2024 article "‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine."