Blake Lively Hit with Defamation Lawsuit by Crisis Publicist Named in Justin Baldoni Harassment Case

A crisis publicist named in Blake Lively’s sexual harassment and extortion complaint against It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni has filed a separate lawsuit against the actress, escalating the ongoing legal feud. Jed Wallace, a crisis manager with the Texas-based firm Street Relations, Inc., sued Lively on Tuesday, alleging defamation.

His lawsuit follows her December civil rights complaint, in which she accused Wallace of being involved in a coordinated smear campaign against her. According to Lively’s complaint, Wallace was allegedly hired by Baldoni’s PR team to manipulate public perception and discredit her claims.

She accused him of orchestrating “a digital army around the country from New York to Los Angeles to create, seed, and promote content that appeared to be authentic on social media platforms and internet chat forums.”

Now, Wallace is pushing back, arguing that Lively’s legal team has already walked back its claims against him. In his lawsuit, Wallace asserts that Lively “conceded that she has no facts supporting the allegations she made against Wallace and Street in the Precursor which ‘made headlines around the world” per KSAT 12 News.

He further claims that her legal team has since sought to “investigate the scope of Mr. Wallace’s conduct” after facing the potential of legal sanctions. Wallace and his firm are seeking at least $7 million in damages, along with a court order clearing him of any accusations of harassment or retaliation against Lively. Lively’s team swiftly responded to the lawsuit, calling it a “transparent retaliation” meant to silence her.

“Another day, another state, another nine-figure lawsuit seeking to sue Ms. Lively ‘into oblivion’ for speaking out against sexual harassment and retaliation,” her lawyers said in a statement. They further dismissed Wallace’s lawsuit as an intimidation tactic, adding, “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.”

Lively’s legal team remains confident that Wallace’s case will be thrown out. “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,” they added.

The lawsuit against Lively comes as she faces an even larger $400 million countersuit from Baldoni, who has accused her of defamation over her public allegations. With multiple legal battles unfolding, the conflict surrounding It Ends With Us continues to dominate headlines.