• Blake Lively filed a legal complaint against her "It Ends with Us" costar, Justin Baldoni.
• Taylor Swift and Hailey Bieber appeared in the complaint.
• Lively's complaint said Baldoni and his team conspired to damage her reputation.

In a new legal complaint, Blake Lively said that her "It Ends with Us" costar, Justin Baldoni, who also directed and produced the film, conspired to damage her reputation and credibility.

The complaint also mentions Taylor Swift and Hailey Bieber.

Lively named Baldoni and six other defendants in her complaint, including the CEO and cofounder of his production studio, Wayfarer Studios. She also named communications crisis manager Melissa Nathan of The Agency Group PR and Baldoni's publicist, Jennifer Abel.

In the complaint, Lively said Baldoni and his team created a "multi-tiered plan" using "social manipulation" to "destroy" her reputation.

"This plan went well beyond standard crisis PR. What Ms. Nathan proposed included a practice known as 'Astroturfing,' which has been defined as 'the practice of publishing opinions or comments on the internet, in the media, etc. that appear to come from ordinary members of the public but actually come from a particular company or political group,'" according to the complaint.

The complaint says that Baldoni and his team discussed controversies around Swift and Bieber as strategic suggestions while conspiring against Lively.

Bryan Freedman, an attorney for Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios, said Lively's complaint was a "desperate attempt to 'fix' her negative reputation."

Baldoni and his team considered leveraging backlash around Swift and the 'weaponization of feminism,' the complaint says

Nathan's communications company shared a "Scenario Planning" document with Baldoni and others that outlined potential strategies "should [Ms. Lively] and her team make her grievances public," the complaint says.

The complaint includes a copy of that document, which Lively's attorneys obtained through a civil subpoena.

The planning document discussed what Baldoni's team could do if Lively's husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, publicly defended her against critics. It included a reference to Swift, who is a friend of Lively. The pair have attended Kansas City Chiefs football games together and have been photographed by paparazzi while hanging out.

"As part of this, our team can also explore planting stories about the weaponization of feminism and how people in BL's circle, like Taylor Swift, have been accused of utilizing these tactics to 'bully' into getting what they want," the planning document says, according to the complaint.

The complaint says Baldoni used a social media post about Bieber and bullying as an example strategy

Lively's complaint also contained screenshots of text message conversations between Baldoni and his team, which were also obtained through a civil subpoena. According to the complaint, Baldoni sent a text message to his publicist, Abel, in early August.

"A few days later, on August 5, 2024, Mr. Baldoni set the narrative for the social media campaign, sending Ms. Abel a screenshot of a thread on X that had accused another female celebrity of bullying women," the complaint said. "Mr. Baldoni stated, 'this is what we would need.'"

The social media post included two pictures of Bieber and insinuated she had bullied other women. That narrative gained traction on social media in 2023 and resulted in widespread backlash against Bieber.

A representative for Lively referred Business Insider to a statement she shared with The New York Times.

"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," she said.

Lively also said neither she nor her representatives planted negative stories about Baldoni or Wayfarer Studios.

Baldoni's attorney said the accusations in Lively's complaint were "completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media."

Representatives for Bieber and Swift did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Congress' long-simmering debate over the age of its members has resurfaced over revelations that Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) has been living in an independent living facility in Texas.

Why it matters: The retiring former House Appropriations Committee chair's absence from votes since July has led some of her colleagues to raise concerns.

The latest: Granger acknowledged in a Sunday statement to Axios that she has "been navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year."

• "Since early September, my health challenges have progressed making frequent travel to Washington both difficult and unpredictable."
• Granger's son Brandon told the Dallas Morning News that she has been "having some dementia issues late in the year."

Yes, but: Brandon Granger pushed back on a report from the Dallas Express – whose CEO Chris Putnam ran against Granger in 2020 – that his mother was living in a memory care facility.

• Instead, he said, she resides in the independent living facility of Tradition Senior Living in Fort Worth, which advertises itself as a "luxury senior living community."
• A source familiar with the matter told Axios that Granger moved into the independent senior living facility around July.

What they're saying: Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) told Axios in a statement that the public "is entitled to far greater transparency about the health of the elected officials who represent them."

• "The incapacitation of an elected official is a material fact that should be disclosed to the public, rather than concealed by staff," he added.
• Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) called for term limits in a post on X, saying Granger's absence "reveals the problem with a Congress that rewards seniority & relationships more than merit & ideas."
• Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said in a post on X responding to the Dallas Express report that he is "more concerned about the congressmen who have dementia and are still voting."

Zoom in: A House Republican, speaking on the condition of anonymity regarding Granger's absence, says it's "absolutely" worrying because her constituents "don't have a vote."

• The lawmaker said there's not enough political will yet to address Congress' age issue, but "there should be."

What we're hearing: The first source told Axios that Granger would have made different preparations had she known she would be unable to vote towards the end of the session, citing the unforeseen progression of her illness.

• Granger was also clear with leadership about her situation and said she would return to D.C. to vote if she was needed, the source said.
• The source also argued that her resignation would have left the seat vacant until January and still created a representation issue.

Zoom out: Granger stepped down as the Appropriations Committee chair in April and will retire on Jan. 3 when her term expires.

• Granger's status was highlighted by her missing a vote on Friday to avert a government shutdown, despite her past leadership of the panel that deals with government funding.
• She was, however, present at the Capitol in November when her portrait was unveiled to honor her long-standing work as a member of the House Appropriations Committee.
• Granger said in her statement on Sunday that, while in D.C. last month, she was able to hold "meetings on behalf of my constituents, express my gratitude to my staff, and oversee the closure of my Washington office."

Between the lines: While leadership may have been kept in the loop, several rank-and-file House members from both parties told Axios they were unaware of Granger's living situation until this weekend.

• Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), a member of Granger's delegation, said Sunday on CBS News' "Face the Nation" that he was not aware of Granger's condition but acknowledged there was "no doubt a lot of us knew she was gaining in age like a lot of members do."

Go deeper: Charted: Baby Boomers rule Congress