Blake Lively’s Publicist Denies Reports She Planted Stories

Blake Lively‘s publicist, Leslie Sloane, is denying a new report alleging that she planted false stories in the press about behind-the-scenes conflict against actor/director Justin Baldoni on the set of It Ends With Us.

A new Daily Mail article alleges that Baldoni is planning to countersue costar Lively, 37, immediately after the holidays in response to her headline-making lawsuit filed on December 20. Among other claims, Baldoni’s planned countersuit will supposedly allege that publicist Sloane tried to tarnish Baldoni’s reputation by leaking stories to media outlets, according to the Daily Mail.

“I was contacted on 8/11 [with] an anonymous tip … regarding allegations of HR complaints on the set of It Ends with Us,” Sloane told People in a statement.

“After that, I was contacted by various press outlets asking about allegations of HR complaints,” the statement continued. “When contacted, I responded to press questions by referring them to Wayfarer or Sony for information regarding HR complaints.” (Wayfarer Studios is the production company cofounded by Baldoni.)

“It’s clear that Mr. Baldoni and his Wayfarer Associates are suggesting that I originated press stories about HR complaints on set, which is false,” Sloane added, urging people to read legal complaints filed by Lively and others involved in the dispute  “which provides the details of the campaign against my client.”

As previously reported, Lively sued Baldoni for sexual harassment on the set of the domestic violence drama, and also accused her director/costar of mounting a smear campaign against her during the film’s press tour last summer.

“I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted,” Lively said in a statement to the New York Times.

Through his lawyer Bryan Freedman, Baldoni called the allegations “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious.”

In response to the Daily Mail story about a countersuit, Freedman told Deadline:

“I am not going to speak to when or how many lawsuits we are filing but when we file our first lawsuit, it is going to shock everyone who has been manipulated into believing a demonstrably false narrative,. It will be supported by real evidence and tell the true story. In over 30 years of practicing, I have never seen this level of unethical behavior intentionally fueled through media manipulation.”