Blake Lively files formal lawsuit against It Ends with Us co-star Justin Baldoni

Blake Lively has filed a formal lawsuit against her It Ends with Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni.

In December, the former Gossip Girl actress instigated legal proceedings against Baldoni, alleging he sexually harassed her on set and subjected her to a smear campaign with the intention of damaging her reputation following the release of their movie in August.

On Tuesday, Lively officially filed a lawsuit against Baldoni in a federal court in New York.

In court documents obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, the star claimed the 40-year-old, his studio Wayfarer, and his public relations managers Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, orchestrated a campaign against her as retaliation for speaking out over alleged sexual misconduct on the set.

In a statement, the 37-year-old's lawyers alleged she had been subjected to "further retaliation" after an article revealing her claims against Baldoni was published in The New York Times on 21 December.

"Wayfarer and its associates have violated federal and California state law by retaliating against her for reporting sexual harassment and workplace safety concerns," the attorney stated, according to the outlet. "Now, the defendants will answer for their conduct in federal court. Ms. Lively has brought this litigation in New York, where much of the relevant activities described in the Complaint took place, but we reserve the right to pursue further action in other venues and jurisdictions as appropriate under the law."

In the complaint, Lively alleged she had told producers that she was concerned about Baldoni's behaviour on set and claimed that he improvised "physical intimacy" scenes without rehearsal or an intimacy coordinator.

She also alleged Baldoni attempted to add a graphic sex scene to It Ends with Us, based on the novel by Colleen Hoover, without any discussion.

Elsewhere, Lively claimed she had inappropriate interactions with Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath, with her reporting that they entered her trailer unannounced while she was getting ready on multiple occasions.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants star also alleged she reported Baldoni and Heath's behaviour to superiors, but her concerns weren't taken further.

Previously, lawyer Bryan Freedman denied all of Lively's claims against his client, Baldoni.

Around the same time the actress filed the new lawsuit, 10 plaintiffs - including Baldoni, Heath, Nathan and Abel - sued The New York Times for $250 million (£199 million) in a complaint lodged in a court in Los Angeles.

They are suing the newspaper for libel and false light invasion of privacy over the article about Lively's allegations, claiming that journalists "cherry-picked" information and "altered communications stripped of necessary context and deliberately spliced to mislead".

A representative for the publication insisted the story was "meticulously and responsibly reported" and they plan to "vigorously defend" the lawsuit.