AceShowbiz - After Blake Lively filed a sexual harassment complaint against her "It Ends With Us" co-star and director, Justin Baldoni, and followed it up with a lawsuit a week later, the situation is expected to escalate further.

Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, confirmed in an NBC News interview that they "absolutely" plan to sue Lively in retaliation. "We want the truth to be out there," Freedman said, adding that all text messages between Lively and Baldoni will be released to the public.

Lively's initial 80-page complaint alleges that Baldoni not only sexually harassed her during the making of the movie but also conducted a smear campaign against her afterward. The "Gossip Girl" star accused Baldoni and his allies of engaging in "social manipulation" to destroy her reputation, leading to severe emotional distress for her family. The complaint is supported by text messages and other documents Lively claims as evidence of Baldoni's misconduct.

Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios, his production company, responded robustly. "These claims are completely false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media," said Freedman.

Baldoni's team also intends to sue Lively's publicist Leslie Sloane and his former publicist Stephanie Jones. Jones had previously filed her lawsuit against Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and several others for breach of contract on December 24.

Adding layers to this complex saga, Baldoni has already sued The New York Times for $250 million, accusing the paper of using "cherry-picked" examples to support Lively's claims. "Our story was meticulously and responsibly reported," responded a spokesperson for the Times, who plans to defend the lawsuit vigorously.

Amid this escalating legal drama, Baldoni's lawyer said, "A simple reading of the text messages confirms" that there are misunderstandings at play, several of which involve mischaracterizations of Baldoni's actions on set.

Lively's complaint has garnered public support from figures like Amber Heard, Kate Beckinsale, Paul Feig, and her "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" co-stars. .

With the lawsuits piling up and with both sides standing firm, the messy battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni over their experiences on "It Ends With Us" is far from over. As the legal proceedings unfold, both stars will be scrutinized under the public eye, and the truth may ultimately lie somewhere in the documents and texts that Freedman promises to reveal.