Solidarity Award rescinded amid Blake Lively claims

A female solidarity honor that was recently awarded to Justin Baldoni was rescinded after the actor was accused by his It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively of sexual harassment and mounting a campaign to “destroy” her reputation.

Baldoni was honored with the award earlier this month by Vital Voices, a global nonprofit organization that focuses on empowering women.

The organization announced Monday night that it was rescinding the award after a legal complaint filed by Lively alleged “abhorrent conduct” by the actor, his studio and a crisis public relations team that it said was “contrary to to the values” of the non-profit organization. .

Baldoni’s legal team told the BBC that the allegations are “categorically false” and said they hired a crisis manager because Lively had threatened to derail the film unless her demands were met.

In the romantic drama, Lively plays a woman who finds herself in a relationship with a charming but abusive boyfriend, played by Baldoni.

He Voices of Solidarity Award was presented to Baldoni on December 9 during an awards ceremony in New York, Vital Voices said in a statement. The award was presented by comedian Hasan Minhaj and honors “remarkable men who have shown courage and compassion in standing up for women and girls.”

He published about the award in his instagram pagesaying he was “deeply humbled and honoured” and noting the continued work that needs to be done to help future generations of men.

“My hope is that we can teach our children, while they are still young, that vulnerability is strength, sensitivity is a superpower, and empathy makes them powerful,” he says in the post.

In a statement on Monday, Vital Voices explained that it had revoked the award and notified Baldoni of the decision.

Less than two weeks after the awards ceremony, Lively, best known for her role on the television show Gossip Girl, filed a lawsuit. legal complaint accusing Baldoni and his team of attacking his public image. She says in the complaint that the attacks occurred after a meeting to address “repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behavior” by Baldoni and a producer of the film.

According to the presentation submitted to the California Department of Civil Rights, a list of 30 demands related to the couple’s alleged misconduct were presented at the meeting to ensure they could continue producing the film. The list included requests such as no longer mentioning Baldoni’s “porn addiction,” not describing genitals, and not adding intimate scenes that were not approved by her when she read the script.

Lively also accused Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios of leading a “multi-layered plan” to ruin her reputation in the media and online, including hiring a crisis manager who led a “sophisticated, coordinated and well-funded retaliation plan.” against her and used a “digital army” to post content on social media that looked authentic.

In response to the legal complaint, Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, said in a statement Saturday that the allegations were “categorically false.”

Freedman accused Lively of making numerous demands and threats, including “threatening not to show up to set, threatening not to promote the film,” which would end up “ultimately leading to her demise during the premiere, if her demands were not met.” .

He alleged that Lively’s statements were “intentionally lewd with the intent to publicly hurt and repeat a narrative in the media.”