Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are preparing for additional lawsuits against Justin Baldoni as they continue their ongoing legal dispute.
In a letter from their lawyers dated January 30th, the married couple indicated their intention to discard, or dismiss, the $400 million civil lawsuit for extortion and defamation that the director of “It Ends With Us” had filed against them. This action was in reaction to the actress’ sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit she had previously filed against him, as they were both cast members in the film.
According to a report from TopMob News, Lively and Reynolds failed to explain in their letter why they thought Baldoni’s counterclaim should be thrown out.
TopMob News has reached out to the director’s lawyer for comment and has not heard back.
In her court case, which she filed on December 31 – over a week after she had lodged a very similar complaint against the director with the California Civil Rights Department – Lively claimed that she and other members of the cast and crew for the film “It Ends With Us” were subjected to intrusive, unwanted, unprofessional, and inappropriate behavior of a sexual nature by Baldoni on the set of the 2024 movie.
Ryan Reynolds would like to be excluded from Justin Baldoni’s lawsuit.
On March 18th, the actor who plays Deadpool filed a petition with a New York court seeking to be released from a $400 million lawsuit for extortion and defamation, which was filed by the director of It Ends With Us in response to sexual harassment and retaliation charges brought against him by his wife, Blake Lively.
According to documents acquired by TopMob News, Reynolds’ legal team refuted Baldoni’s claims of defamation against him. These allegations included accusations that Reynolds, known for his role in Marvel, had made harmful comments about the former Jane the Virgin star being a “predator” towards a Hollywood agent.
The foundation of the Plaintiffs’ defamation lawsuit seems to hinge on two instances where Mr. Reynolds is said to have labeled Mr. Baldoni a ‘predator.’ However, the filed document doesn’t present any convincing evidence that Mr. Reynolds didn’t genuinely believe this statement to be accurate. On the contrary, the provided allegations indicate that Mr. Reynolds firmly, possibly vehemently, holds the belief that Mr. Baldoni’s actions align with those of a ‘predator.’
As an ardent fan, I’ve got to say, the legal team representing Reynolds – Mike Gottlieb and Esra Hudson – aren’t mincing words when they call out Baldoni’s claims in his January lawsuit demanding $400 million as nothing but a desperate ploy to perpetuate the same carefully crafted ‘victim of bullying’ narrative that the Wayfarer Parties concocted and spread during their retaliation campaign against Ms. Lively, which took place in August of 2024.
According to the documents, the Wayfarer Parties assert that Mr. Reynolds coerced them, yet they don’t seem to provide any evidence that he received any funds or assets. They contend he disrupted a contract without specifying the details of the agreement, which provisions were violated, or who among them were involved in it.
In simpler terms, the lawyers for Reynolds stated, “They claim $400 million in damages but fail to provide details on who incurred these losses, in what share, due to which specific incidents, and what directly led to these alleged losses.
TopMob News has reached out to Baldoni’s lawyer for comment and has not heard back.
In response to a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit filed by Lively in December against the director of “It Ends With Us,” Baldoni counter-sued Lively, Reynolds, and her publicist Leslie Sloane on January 16th, claiming civil extortion and defamation, false light invasion of privacy, among other misdeeds. He asserted that it was Lively and her team who orchestrated a malicious smear campaign against him, rather than the other way around as initially claimed in her complaint with the California Civil Rights Department and subsequent lawsuit.
After Baldoni filed his lawsuit, Lively’s legal team described Baldoni’s lawsuit as another instance of an ‘abuser’s strategy’.
In a statement to TopMob News on January 16, the lawyers explained that this situation resembles a long-standing pattern: A woman presents solid proof of sexual harassment and retaliation, only for the perpetrator to try to shift blame onto the victim. This tactic is commonly referred to as DARVO, which stands for Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim Offender.
The approach of targeting the woman is a last-ditch effort, it doesn’t disprove the allegations in Ms. Lively’s claim, and it’s doomed to fall flat.
Keep reading to untangle all of the updates in the lawsuits between Lively and Baldoni…
Four months following the theater release of the movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s book “It Ends With Us,” Blake Lively filed a complaint with California Civil Rights Department (CRD) against her costar Justin Baldoni and his associates on December 20, as reported by The New York Times.
The complaint, obtained by TopMob News, names Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios (Wayfarer), its CEO Jamey Heath, cofounder Steve Sarowitz, Baldoni’s publicist Jennifer Abel, her company RWA Communications, crisis communications specialist Melissa Nathan, her company The Agency Group PR LLC (TAG), contractor Jed Wallace and his company Street Relations Inc. as defendants.
In the complaint, Lively alleges that Baldoni and Wayfarer associates initiated a “sophisticated press and digital plan in retaliation” after she expressed concerns about alleged misconduct on set, with her claiming that she and other cast and crew members faced “invasive, unwelcome, unprofessional, and sexually inappropriate behavior” from Baldoni and Heath.
Lively further claims that this alleged campaign against her caused significant harm to her personally and professionally. The charges listed in the complaint include sexual harassment, retaliation, failure to address harassment, aiding and abetting harassment and retaliation, breach of contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, false light invasion of privacy, and interference with prospective economic advantage.
The following day, The New York Times released an article detailing a counterattack smear strategy that sources claim Baldoni and his colleagues orchestrated against Lively – referring to her CRD complaint. In their report, the newspaper shared messages sent by Baldoni, Abel (his publicist), and Nathan (crisis communications specialist), which were included in her complaint. Additionally, readers could access the related court documents on The New York Times’ website. Speaking with the outlet, Lively expressed that she hoped her legal action would expose these underhanded retaliatory actions aimed at harming those who speak against misconduct and safeguard others who might be subjected to similar treatment.
Following Lively’s allegations, Bryan Freedman – lawyer for Baldoni, Wayfarer, and their respective representatives – fiercely refuted the claims. In a statement on The New York Times website, he criticized Lively’s allegations as “shameful” and “categorically false,” stating that they were merely an attempt to repair her tarnished reputation from her own words and actions during the film campaign. He further labeled the accusations as “completely false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious with the purpose of causing harm in the media.”
Freedman also justified Wayfarer’s hiring of a crisis manager, explaining that this was done prior to the movie’s marketing campaign. Later, he clarified that Wayfarer’s representatives didn’t take any proactive measures nor retaliate, but instead responded to incoming media inquiries to ensure fair and accurate reporting. He pointed out that what is conspicuously absent from the selectively presented correspondence is the evidence that no proactive steps were taken with the media; only internal strategic planning and private communication was present – which is standard practice among public relations professionals.
After an article in The New York Times was published on December 21, talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME) decided to part ways with Baldoni. This decision was confirmed by Ari Emanuel, CEO of the agency’s parent company Endeavor, to the outlet. However, it’s important to note that WME has denied Ryan Reynolds, Lively’s husband and a client represented by WME, was responsible for the separation between Baldoni and the agency. This allegation was later made in Baldoni’s lawsuit against The New York Times (more details below). In response to this, WME stated to The Hollywood Reporter on January 1 that Baldoni’s claim about Reynolds pressuring Baldoni’s agent at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere is not true. They added that Baldoni’s former representative was not present at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere and there was never any pressure from Reynolds or Lively at any time to drop Baldoni as a client.
After Lively’s CRD filing and an article in The New York Times, several well-known figures expressed their support for her allegations against Baldoni. This included the author of “It Ends With Us,” Hoover. On Instagram Stories on December 21st, she wrote, “Blake Lively, you have always been honest, kind, supportive and patient since we first met. Thank you for being exactly who you are. Never change. Never wilt.”
Jenny Slate, who portrayed the sister of Baldoni’s character Ryle, also expressed her support for Lively. In a statement to Today on December 23rd, she said, “As Blake Lively’s castmate and friend, I stand with her as she takes action against those reported to have harmed her reputation. Blake is a leader, loyal friend, and a source of emotional support for many who know and love her.”
She further added, “What has been revealed about the attack on Blake is incredibly dark, disturbing, and threatening. I commend my friend, admire her bravery, and stand by her side.”
Brandon Sklenar, a romantic interest for Lively’s character Lily Bloom, shared a link to The New York Times article and wrote, “For the love of God, read this.”
Additionally, Lively’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants costars America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, and Amber Tamblyn declared their solidarity with her.
Liz Plank recently shared that she is stepping down from her co-host role on “The Man Enough Podcast”, a position she held alongside Baldoni and Heath. She made this announcement via Instagram on December 23rd. In her post, she expressed gratitude for the trust her audience placed in her and the powerful community they built together over the past four years. Although Plank did not specify the reason for her departure, it came shortly after Lively’s complaint against Baldoni and his associates at Wayfarer. She concluded by stating her continued commitment to the values they had established together and promising to share more as she works through recent events. In the meantime, she vowed to continue supporting those who speak out against injustice and hold accountable those standing in their way.
In New York on Christmas Eve, Stephanie Jones, Baldoni’s former publicist, and her agency Jonesworks LLC filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, his company Wayfarer, his current publicist Abel, crisis communications specialist Nathan, alleging that they had conspired for months to publicly and privately attack Jones and Jonesworks. The lawsuit claims that Abel and Nathan coordinated secretly with Baldoni and Wayfarer to launch a smear campaign against one of Baldoni’s film co-stars, using the crisis as an opportunity to drive a wedge between Jones and Baldoni, and falsely blame Jones for the smear campaign. The lawsuit further alleges that Abel and Nathan have continued to defame and attack Jones in the industry since their misconduct has been exposed. Additionally, the suit claims that Baldoni and Wayfarer breached their contractual obligations with Jonesworks and refused to settle the dispute privately through arbitration. When contacted for comment, the defendants did not respond.
According to a report by Variety published on December 23, Lively’s lawyers stated they obtained the texts mentioned in The New York Times article through a subpoena issued to Jonesworks. Freedman, who represents both Nathan, Abel, Baldoni, and their associates at Wayfarer, further clarified that none of his clients were served with a subpoena on this matter. He also expressed his intention to sue Jones for disclosing messages from Abel’s phone to Lively’s attorneys.
31st December saw a lawsuit filed by Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, Nathan, TAG, Abel, RWA Communications, Wallace and Street Relations against The New York Times. In this lawsuit, The New York Times is accused of libel, false light invasion of privacy, promissory fraud, and breach of implied-in-fact contract regarding an article about a supposed retaliatory smear campaign the plaintiffs allegedly carried out against Lively after she raised concerns about misconduct on set.
The plaintiffs claim that the report was false and based on Lively’s CRD complaint, they deny the accusations and allege that messages cited in the article and complaint were taken out of context. They assert that The New York Times largely relied on Lively’s unverified narrative in their reporting, disregarding evidence that contradicted her claims and exposed her true motives.
The plaintiffs also claim that it was Lively, not them, who engaged in a calculated smear campaign, a claim she has denied. The New York Times has stated they will “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.” In response to this, The New York Times claims their story was meticulously and responsibly reported, based on a thorough review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails they quote accurately and at length in the article.
On the same day, Lively initiated a legal action against Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, It Ends With Us Movie LLC, Nathan, his company TAG, and Abel in New York. The court documents show that she is charging the defendants with sexual harassment, retaliation, failing to address harassment, aiding and abetting harassment and retaliation, breach of contract, intentionally causing emotional distress, negligently causing emotional distress, false light invasion of privacy, among other allegations. These claims were initially detailed in the CRD complaint she filed earlier that month. In response to this lawsuit, Baldoni and his associates filed a suit against The New York Times (which does not include Lively as a defendant). However, her legal team clarified to TopMob that this lawsuit does not affect the validity of her claims in the CRD and federal complaints. They stated that the assumption that Lively’s administrative complaint against Wayfarer and others was a ploy to avoid suing Baldoni, and that litigation was never her ultimate goal, is false, as demonstrated by the federal complaint she filed today.
In their legal action against The New York Times, Baldoni and his team have signaled that they have more to come, as the court documents suggest there are other parties involved in the matter, and this will not be the only lawsuit they file. During a January 2 interview with NBC News, Baldoni’s attorney Freedman confirmed their intention to take legal action against Lively as well.
As a dedicated follower, I can’t help but notice that the chatter about Baldoni and Lively hasn’t stopped. For one, some social media users have suggested that Reynolds, Lively’s husband, might have poked fun at Baldoni in his movie “Deadpool & Wolverine” through the character Nicepool.
However, Reynolds has yet to comment on these speculations. Interestingly, Baldoni’s lawyer, Freedman, recently shared his thoughts on this matter during an interview on The Megyn Kelly Show, posted on YouTube on January 7th. Here’s what he had to say:
“In my opinion, if your wife is sexually harassed, you don’t make light of Justin Baldoni’s situation,” Freedman stated. “Instead, you take it seriously. You file complaints, raise the issue, and follow a legal process. What you definitely don’t do is make jokes about it.
In a statement made on January 7, Ms. Lively’s legal team explained that the ongoing federal lawsuit against Wayfarer and its associates in the Southern District of New York is based on substantial allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation. They stressed that this isn’t a petty disagreement or he-said-she-said situation, but rather a case of unlawful, retaliatory astroturfing against Ms. Lively, who was only trying to safeguard herself and others on the film set. Following her lawsuit, they alleged that there have been more attacks directed towards Ms. Lively.
In the same statement, the lawyers urged everyone to keep in mind that sexual harassment and retaliation are prohibited in every workplace and industry. They warned against tactics used to downplay such misconduct, like blaming the victim or suggesting they invited it. Another tactic is to shift the roles of victim and offender, claiming that the offender is actually the one who has been wronged.
The lawyers further stated that these strategies serve to normalize and trivialize serious allegations. They also clarified that media statements are not a defense for Ms. Lively’s claims and that they will pursue her case in court.
On January 16th, Baldoni, Heath, Wayfarer, publicist Abel, crisis communication specialist Nathan, and It Ends With Us Movie LLC filed a lawsuit in New York against Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, her publicist Leslie Sloane, and Sloane’s firm Vision PR.
The complaint, obtained by TopMob News, alleges that all defendants have committed civil extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy through false light. Specifically, Lively and Reynolds are accused of breaching the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, intentionally interfering with contractual relations, and causing economic harm.
The plaintiffs deny Lively’s claims of sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign against her. Instead, they accuse her of taking control of It Ends With Us and collaborating with Reynolds, Sloane, Jones, and others to tarnish the plaintiffs’ reputation in the media after she faced backlash for promoting the film. (Lively asserts that she followed Sony’s marketing plan for the movie.)
In their lawsuit, the plaintiffs claim that the defendants collaborated with The New York Times to publish a sensational news report, which turned out to be both damaging and untrue. The media outlet maintains its stance on the accuracy of its report.
In response to TopMob, Freedman stated, “Blake Lively appears to have been either badly misinformed by her team or deliberately lied about the truth.
In a statement provided to TopMob News, Lively’s legal team labeled his lawsuit as “just another tactic in the abuser’s handbook,” explaining that it’s a common pattern: when a woman presents solid proof of sexual harassment and retaliation, the alleged perpetrator tries to counterattack the accuser. This tactic is often referred to as DARVO – Deny the accusations, Attack the accuser, Reverse the roles of Victim and Offender.
She additionally claimed he responded by counterattacking after she brought charges against him, asserting that Baldoni aims to change the discussion, implying that Lively took over creative direction and estranged the cast from Mr. Baldoni.
It was further stated that the proof will make clear that both the cast members and others encountered unfavorable encounters with Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer. Additionally, the evidence will demonstrate that Sony requested Ms. Lively to manage Sony’s portion of the film, which they subsequently chose for distribution and achieved significant success.
Her team went on to slam Baldoni’s reaction to her allegations of harassment.
In a nutshell, the defendants’ argument for their response to sexual harassment accusations was essentially blaming the victim. They implied that she invited it or was at fault. Furthermore, they tried to justify their actions by pointing fingers at her clothing choices. However, the lawyers argued that this approach is pathetic and has no basis in refuting the evidence presented in Ms. Lively’s complaint. This strategy of attacking the woman will ultimately fail.
In a statement, Baldoni’s lawyer disclosed previously unseen footage from the set of “It Ends With Us“, asserting that the depicted actions by the actor contradict Ms. Lively’s portrayal of him.
In a statement, Baldoni’s lawyers explained that the particular scene was intended to depict the two characters developing affection for each other and yearning to be near one another. It’s important to note that both actors were portraying their roles appropriately and professionally within the context of the scene, demonstrating respect towards each other.
Nevertheless, Lively’s legal team contends that the video aligns precisely with Ms. Lively’s account in her lawsuit. They argue that every scene was spontaneously created by Mr. Baldoni without prior consultation or approval.
The video depicts Miss Lively pulling back and persistently requesting that the characters converse instead, as reported to TopMob News in a statement. Any female employee who has experienced unwanted physical contact at work can likely empathize with Miss Lively’s unease.
In the context of their ongoing case, the pair wrote to the presiding judge, asking for Freedman, leading Baldoni’s legal team, to be subjected to a gag order during the trial to prevent any inappropriate behavior.
Online, a seven-minute voice recording supposedly sent by Baldoni to Lively during the filming of It Ends With Us surfaced. In this recording, it seems that Baldoni discussed the movie’s rooftop scene, which Lively rewrote, and how the modifications were reportedly presented to him in a meeting with Reynolds and their friend Taylor Swift.
He said to Lively, “It’s great to have friends as imaginative and innovative as them, who just happen to be among the most creative individuals in existence. When the three of you are together, it’s simply astonishing!
As a devoted admirer, in the recording, Baldoni appeared to express remorse towards the actress for not responding warmly enough to her script. He acknowledged his mistake by saying, “I made an error there. One crucial aspect about me is that I am honest enough to acknowledge and apologize when I fall short.
Exactly one month following the submission of Lively’s legal complaint against Baldoni, a court hearing was scheduled for March 9, 2026.
I, as a dedicated follower, have recently learned that Baldoni’s legal team has updated their counterclaim filed on January 16th against Lively, Reynolds, and Sloane in the U.S. District Court. This update now includes The New York Times, based on documents obtained by TopMob News.
In the revised document, Baldoni alleged that Lively and her associates conspired for several months, spreading untruths to the New York Times.
The submission, distinct from the $250 million lawsuit filed against the New York Times, claimed that the paper selectively chose and manipulated communications, removing crucial context, and intentionally edited them to deceive.
Baldoni developed a site that includes details about his lawsuit against Lively, featuring the initial amended complaint submitted on January 31 by his legal team, as well as a chronology of important events. The timeline document reportedly contains alleged screenshots of text conversations between Lively, Reynolds, and Baldoni.
A thrill ran through me a whole month later when Freedman announced that every single text exchange between them would be unveiled on the site – I just couldn’t wait to get my hands on it!
In a January 2 interview with NBC News, Baldoni’s lawyer expressed that they desire transparency and want all relevant documents to be made available. They believe people should base their judgments on actual records or receipts.
Lawyers for Lively submitted a revised lawsuit stating that two additional female crew members, involved in the production of “It Ends”, had disclosed feelings of discomfort due to Baldoni’s conduct on the set.
TopMob News obtained a complaint stating that Ms. Lively wasn’t the only one voicing concerns about Mr. Baldoni. The incidents involving Ms. Lively, as well as others, were recorded from May 2023 onwards. Notably, contrary to the story the Defendants have fabricated, Mr. Baldoni admitted to the complaints in writing at the time. He was aware that there were other women who felt uneasy and had expressed their discomfort about his behavior.
In the revised lawsuit, Lively’s stated witnesses were left unnamed because of the “hostile environment marked by threats, harassment, and bullying allegedly instigated by the defendants as part of their reprisal effort.
In an interview with TopMob, Freedman contended that the accusation was riddled with “unsourced rumors” and suggested that those who could potentially corroborate her statements are now unwilling or hesitant to do so publicly.
Following Baldoni’s accusations that Sloane was spreading “harmful tales” which depicted him as a “sexual offender” and organizing a “defamatory campaign” at Lively’s behest, Sloane requested to withdraw from the ongoing legal case by filing a motion for dismissal.
According to documents obtained by TopMob News, Sloane’s lawyer argued that there was no solid ground for the allegations against her client, claiming instead that she had been unfairly drawn into the lawsuit as a tactic to divert attention away from accusations leveled at Lively.
Nick Shapiro, who previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff at the CIA, was recruited by Lively to provide counsel on the legal communication strategy related to an ongoing sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit in the Southern District of New York. This information was shared by a member of her litigation team from Willkie Farr & Gallagher with Variety on February 28th.
Shapiro, who served for the CIA between 2013 and 2015 under President Obama’s administration, later moved on to become Visa’s vice president of worldwide security and communications, followed by Airbnb’s global head of crisis management. Following a three-year stint at the rental company, he established his own consulting firm, 10th Avenue Consulting LLC.
In response to a $400 million lawsuit involving Lively, Baldoni, and Sloane, The New York Times, currently engaged in a separate $250 million lawsuit with Baldoni, petitioned to be released from the larger lawsuit, as reported by TopMob News based on obtained court documents.
In the court documents, the newspaper contended that Baldoni’s team was spinning a one-sided story which has generated much publicity. However, they asserted that The Times should not be involved in this case.
After The New York Times moved to have their case dismissed, U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman agreed and delayed the process of discovery, as reported by TopMob News based on acquired documents.
The judge agreed to pause the requirement for parties to share information and documents, as he reviewed the newspaper’s motion filed on February 28th.
In the March 4 document, Liman stated that the New York Times’ arguments are “solid” and “suggest a high likelihood of success when seeking to dismiss the case based on its inherent strengths.
Additionally, the judge expressed his view that during the court’s decision-making process on the outstanding motion, Baldoni’s legal team will not suffer an unfair disadvantage or delay.
As an over-the-moon enthusiast, I eagerly share that in a conversation with TopMob News, a representative from the New York Times spoke up about the recent development, expressing, “We’re thrilled about today’s court ruling, which underscores the vital First Amendment principles involved. The court has wisely prevented Mr. Baldoni from overwhelming The Times with discovery demands in a lawsuit that simply doesn’t belong here.
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