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Embattled Blake Lively faces a fresh defamation fight after a crisis PR boss has now filed a suit against her for wrongly naming him as an alleged harasser, DailyMail.com can reveal.
Jed Wallace says he was dragged into the actress's bitter legal battle with Justin Baldoni after she listed him as a defendant in her administrative complaint filed against her co-star in December.
Her filing described Wallace as a Texas-based contractor 'who weaponized a digital army' to help 'create, seed, and promote' social media content attacking her and defending Baldoni.
Described as a 'precursor to a lawsuit', the document was attached to the original civil rights complaint that Lively filed in California on December 20 to kick off legal hostilities against her It Ends with Us co-star.
When the actress's actual federal complaint was filed neither Wallace, nor his Street Relations crisis management firm, were among those accused, his lawyers say.
But it was too late to stop media outlets wrongly naming him and his company as defendants as they relied on the version Lively's team had already distributed to the press.
Blake Lively is facing a fresh defamation suit from a public relations specialist who claims he was wrongly named as a defendant in her ongoing bitter battle with Justin Baldoni
Legal filings revealed a power struggle between Lively and Baldoni unfolded on set after the actress suggested she rewrite the film's pivotal rooftop scene (pictured)
'Lively or her agents provided the Precursor to various media entities for out-of-court republication and, because of the allegations contained therein, it made 'headlines around the world' according to Elle Magazine which linked to the Precursor document as did many other media,' Wallace's filing says.
'The Precursor was followed on or about December 31, 2024, by a 'formal suit' in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
'Wallace and Street were widely reported to be defendants in the Formal Lawsuit although they were not, the confusion having been sown by the Precursor.'
The mix-up meant Texas-based Wallace was wrongly accused of harassment and retaliation against Lively by the media, his suit filed in Federal court states.
He is suing for emotional harm and loss of business and asking for damages exceeding $1,000,000.
Earlier this week reports claimed Lively's legal battles with Baldoni have taken 'a deep emotional toll' on the actress, 37, as well as her husband Ryan Reynolds, 48, who is named in one of the suits.
In her complaint filed with the California Civil Rights Department on December 20, Lively named Jed Wallace and his company Street Relations as a defendant
Her filing described Wallace as an independent public relations contractor who allegedly 'weaponized a digital army' to create and promote negative content about her
Sources cited by TMZ said she has experienced 'severe anguish' amid the drama surrounding the production, promotion and release of the motion picture, the insider said, and she is striving 'to get this all buttoned up.'
Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment, while he has fired back with a $400million lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds, and her publicist Leslie Sloane claiming defamation and extortion.
Baldoni, who has shared his communications with Lively over the film on a newly-released website, says the trio concocted 'false accusations of sexual harassment' against him.
The first court hearing in the case was held on Monday during which a federal judge admonished attorneys on both sides.
Judge Lewis Liman ordered both parties to cease speaking publicly on the proceedings out of fears it could impact potential jury selection, and warned he could move up the slated March 9, 2026 trial date if they were unable to do so.
He also denied a move from Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds to gag Baldoni's lawyers following the series of bombshell claims made by his legal team.
The box office hit, based on the 2016 bestseller by Colleen Hoover, follows Lily Bloom, a florist played by Lively, who falls in love with a charming but abusive neurosurgeon played by Baldoni, who was also the film's director
The motion picture earned $148million in domestic box office, and $350million globally
Lively's attorneys Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson told DailyMail.com in a statement on Monday following court proceedings: 'We are pleased with the result of today's hearing and eager to move forward immediately with discovery in this case.
'The Court granted our request that all attorneys in the matter actually follow the rule of law and not make any statements that could prejudice a jury. This case deals with serious allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation.'
Gottlieb and Hudson told Dailymail.com they intended to 'hold the defendants accountable' and 'are confident that once all the evidence is submitted in this matter, Ms. Lively will prevail.'
Sources close to Justin Baldoni's team had a clearly different interpretation of Monday's hearings in remarks made to Dailymail.com.
'The judge did not rule in Ms. Lively’s favor, what they had asked of the court was a gag order, for Blake not to be deposed by Bryan and for the entire case to be dismissed against them - none of that happened,' insiders close to Baldoni said. 'Therefore the court did not rule in her favor.'
They added, 'Private individuals have suffered hugely due to celebrity Ms. Lively’s vastly untrue claims and they too, are looking forward to their day in court to show the truth.'
Though the two co-stars appeared to have great chemistry on set initially, dueling lawsuits have since revealed that their feud unraveled after Lively allegedly fought Baldoni for greater artistic control
Justin Baldoni launched his own website dedicated to defending himself against Blake Lively 's sexual harassment allegations
Baldoni's team previously said that the communications shared in court filings on the website - which already has fans talking - makes things clear about the actions of both parties, marking the latest chapter in the feud between the lead stars of romantic drama.
The website, which is live online at thelawsuitinfo.com, comes amid a spate of high-profile litigation between the collaborators on the film, which was a hit at the box office last August.
The site that contained that revelation and others went live days prior to the first hearing for Monday.
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