Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s Legal Dispute: Exploring the Accusations in Their Competing It Ends With Us Lawsuits | Entertainment & Arts News

A new lawsuit has emerged amidst the ongoing legal conflict involving actress Blake Lively and her co-star Justin Baldoni.

Crisis communications expert Jed Wallace has initiated a $7 million (£5.6 million) defamation lawsuit against Lively after being cited in legal documents as part of her fight against an alleged smear campaign aimed at damaging her reputation.

This lawsuit represents the latest twist in a sequence of legal actions initiated by both actors following an original complaint filed by Lively after their collaboration on the film “It Ends With Us.”

The dispute dates back to December of last year and has proven to be quite intricate.

Here’s a comprehensive overview of the recent events in Hollywood’s latest legal saga, and how it has evolved thus far.

Film’s release surrounding controversies

The debut of “It Ends With Us” in August 2024 was marred by rumors regarding disharmony between its principal actors.

This film, based on Colleen Hoover’s popular 2016 novel, portrays Lively’s character, Lily Bloom, as she grapples with an abusive relationship portrayed by Baldoni’s character, Ryle Kincaid.

Despite collaborating as the film’s director and producer, Baldoni adopted a low profile during the promotional activities, while Lively took the spotlight alongside her husband Ryan Reynolds, who was busy promoting “Deadpool & Wolverine” at the same time.

Notably, Baldoni refrained from taking photos with fellow cast members at the premiere, and fans noted his lack of following for both Lively and co-star Jenny Slate on social media platforms.

Lively faced significant negative media scrutiny around the film’s release, with some critics also targeting her for promoting her own ventures—beverage company Betty Buzz and hair care brand Blake Brown—simultaneously.

In an appearance on NBC News’ Today show, Baldoni addressed the swirling online speculation, remarking that filmmaking involves “navigating complex personalities” to reach consensus.

He further commented, “Mistakes are always made, and then you find a way to move beyond them.”

Lively’s legal action

On December 21, The New York Times published an article titled ‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine, revealing that Lively had filed a legal action against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department.

In her complaint, Lively, aged 37, accused Baldoni, aged 41, of sexual harassment, alleging that he and the studio behind “It Ends With Us” initiated a “multi-tiered plan” to tarnish her reputation.

Specific concerns outlined in the filing included Baldoni allegedly showing Lively images of naked women, discussing his previous porn addiction, and making remarks about her weight.

Baldoni has denied all the accusations.

Issues between the two actors were discussed in a January 2024 meeting, during which a revised code of conduct was established for the film’s set, as stated in the complaint.

Accusations of a smear campaign

Within the sexual harassment filing, Lively’s attorneys requested the disclosure of communications connected to what they labeled as an effort to damage her reputation.

The complaint alleges that Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios— the production company behind “It Ends With Us”—engaged a crisis communications firm to implement a “sophisticated, coordinated, and well-funded retaliation strategy” intended to “bury” and “destroy” Lively should she voice her concerns publicly regarding the work environment on set.

Lively’s assertion includes accusations that the plan entailed spreading rumors on online forums, orchestrating a social media campaign, and producing news articles critical of her.

Moreover, the complaint claims Baldoni “suddenly shifted away from” the film’s marketing strategy and employed domestic violence “survivor content” to safeguard his public persona.

The publicized communications included exchanges between Jennifer Abel from RWA Communications, Melissa Nathan from The Agency Group PR, and Baldoni, which seemed to discuss this strategy.

In one instance, Nathan reportedly told Abel: “We can’t put it down to him… We can’t write ‘we will destroy her’… You know we can bury anyone. But I can’t write that to him.”

Lively expressed to The New York Times her hope that the legal action would “pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics employed to harm individuals who bring forth allegations of misconduct and protect others who may be targeted.”

All these claims have been firmly denied by Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their representatives.

Attorney Bryan Freedman, representing all three, described Lively’s allegations as “entirely false, outrageous, and purposefully sensationalized with the aim to publicly harm and revive a narrative in the media.”

He asserted that the studio had “proactively” engaged a crisis manager “in response to various demands and threats issued by Lively during production.”

Following Lively’s legal action and The New York Times report’s publication, Baldoni was dropped by his agency, WME, which also represents both Lively and Reynolds.

Baldoni’s $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times

Right before the new year, Baldoni filed a libel lawsuit against The New York Times.

This lawsuit is pursuing at least $250 million (£199 million) in damages and was lodged in the Los Angeles Superior Court on the same day Lively filed a federal lawsuit against Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and others—expanding upon her prior legal complaint.

Baldoni, together with other parties mentioned in Lively’s lawsuit, accused The New York Times of endorsing a “self-serving narrative” from Lively to produce its article ‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.

The lawsuit states that the article “disregarded a wealth of evidence” that contradicts Lively’s claims.

The publication responded to the lawsuit, asserting its commitment to “vigorously defend” its reporting.

In their statement, they noted: “The duty of an independent news organization is to pursue the facts wherever they may lead.

“Our article was thoroughly and responsibly researched. It was based on an examination of thousands of original documents, including the text messages and emails that we accurately quote at length in the article.”

Lively was not included as a defendant in Baldoni’s libel suit against the publication.

In a statement, lawyers representing Lively indicated: “Nothing in this lawsuit alters any of the claims presented in Ms. Lively’s California Civil Rights Department Complaint or her federal complaint, which was filed earlier today.”

Baldoni files a lawsuit against Lively and Reynolds

In a different legal action, filed on January 16, Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios sued Lively and Reynolds, seeking damages, including lost future earnings.

This lawsuit demands at least $400 million (£326 million) and was submitted in a New York court.

The allegations claim that Lively and Reynolds commandeered both the production and promotional efforts for “It Ends With Us,” manipulating media narratives to disparage Baldoni and others involved in the production with false claims of harassment.

Additionally, the lawsuit asserts that Lively utilized Baldoni as a scapegoat for her “publicly tarnished image” and exploited “her influence as a wealthy celebrity to gain creative control over the film.”

Baldoni and the production company were reportedly reluctant to pursue legal action, but the lawsuit states Lively “has unequivocally left them with no choice; they feel compelled to set the record straight and to shed light on the elements of Hollywood to which they have devoted their careers to being the antithesis.”

In response to the lawsuit, Lively’s legal representatives, from Manatt, Phelps & Phillips and Willkie Farr & Gallagher, accused Baldoni and his legal team of employing a DARVO strategy, which stands for “Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender.”

Their statement elaborated: “This is an age-old tale: A woman comes forward with concrete proof of sexual harassment and retaliation, and the offender attempts to distort the narrative against the victim. This is the phenomenon known as DARVO. Deny. Attack. Reverse Victim Offender.”

Trial date established

At the end of January, federal judge Lewis J Liman in New York set a trial date for March 2026 concerning Lively and Baldoni’s legal entanglement.

This followed a claim from Lively’s legal team that Baldoni’s attorney, Freedman, was attempting to influence potential jurors by creating a website to release selected documents and communications between the two

Lively’s lawyers requested a cessation of a “flow of defamatory and extrajudicial media statements.” Freedman expressed their commitment to “respecting the court.”

“Our aim is for the public to access the actual text messages that contradict her allegations, video evidence that indisputably illustrates the absence of harassment, and all significant proof that directly contends any fabricated accusations,” stated Baldoni’s attorney.

Judge Liman subsequently cautioned both parties that their public comments could influence the outcomes of their respective cases.

This warning was a response to a complaint by Lively’s team, alleging that Freedman had violated ethical guidelines for lawyers by claiming in People magazine that the actress had engaged in “bullying.” Freedman countered that his remarks in the magazine and on a podcast were reactions to The New York Times article from December, which he asserted had “profoundly affected” Baldoni.

A recent state ruling that restricts most out-of-court statements potentially impacting a case’s result— with certain exceptions—has been adopted by Judge Liman.

Communications expert sues Lively

In the most recent lawsuit, crisis communications consultant Jed Wallace has brought a defamation suit against Lively.

Wallace and his firm, Street Relations, filed the $7 million (£5.6 million) lawsuit in federal court in Texas on February 4, following Lively’s allegations that he was significantly involved in the alleged online manipulation that shaped public opinion against her leading up to the debut of “It Ends With Us.”

Lively attempted to obtain a deposition from Wallace, which entails a sworn statement collected outside of court. However, Wallace contends that neither he nor his organization was involved in the alleged sexual harassment, retaliation, or failure to investigate these claims.

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Wallace’s name does not appear in Lively’s federal lawsuit but is referenced in court documents and the initial New York Times article that sparked the legal disputes among the duo.

Attorneys for Lively stated in response that Wallace’s lawsuit “is not merely a publicity stunt.”

Instead, they described it as “an obvious retaliation in response to the allegations put forth in a sexual harassment and retaliation complaint that Ms. Lively submitted to the California Civil Rights Department.”

They asserted: “While this lawsuit will be dismissed, we are pleased that Mr. Wallace has finally emerged from the shadows and that he too will face accountability in federal court.”