Blake Lively Hires ex-CIA Employee After Crisis Management

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are arguing in court. Now she is bringing a former CIA employee on board to support her.

New developments in the legal dispute between Blake Lively, 37, and Justin Baldoni, 41. The actress is once again brought PR manager Nick Shapiro, a former deputy chief of staff of the CIA, on board, reports “Variety” and others.

Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni: What’s the deal?

At the end of last year, Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Authority against her co-star and director of “Just One More Time.” Baldoni had caused her “severe emotional distress” during filming. Among other things, she accused him of showing her explicit images and videos during production of the film, questioning her about her personal sex life, and trying to insert intimate scenes into the film that were not originally in the script.

In addition, Baldoni allegedly attempted to damage Lively’s reputation through a coordinated campaign to make her allegations appear implausible.

In January, Baldoni filed a lawsuit of his own. He accused Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, 48, of defamation and demanded damages of at least $400 million. He said Lively and Reynolds tried to steal “just one more time” from him and “destroy” Baldoni with false claims. In addition to defamation, he accuses the defendants of a form of extortion and of violating his privacy.