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In his filing, Baldoni asserts that Lively’s reputation damage following the movie's release was self-inflicted and not the result of a smear campaign against her as she claims. Baldoni contends that Lively and her team orchestrated a concerted effort to ruin his reputation and career in a bid to deflect responsibility for her alleged misjudgments. The counter-suit emphasizes that this campaign was triggered by Baldoni and his co-star's refusal to issue a public apology to Lively and Reynolds, which they claim Lively demanded. When they declined to comply, Baldoni alleges that Lively retaliated by making “foul and reprehensible accusations” against him.