Blake Lively Requests Justin Baldoni Pay for “Frivolous” Claims

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Blake Lively wants Justin Baldoni to foot her legal bills.

Approximately three months after Baldoni’s $400 million countersuit against the actress of “It Ends With Us,” specifically Ryan Reynolds and his wife, was dismissed in a New York court, Lively’s legal team indicated that she might pursue a substantial monetary compensation to cover her expenses incurred while defending against what they deemed as baseless accusations from her co-star.

In court documents obtained by NBC News on September 7th, Lively’s lawyer stated that, given her status as the successful party in the countersuit filed against her and Reynolds by Baldoni for alleged defamation, Lively is entitled to have her legal expenses covered by Baldoni.

Moreover, Lively’s legal representatives stated that she is additionally eligible for reparation for all the damages inflicted upon her by Baldoni and his associates – encompassing his production company Wayfarer Studios, as well as attorney Bryan Freedman. This entitlement stems from the malicious attempts to tarnish Lively’s reputation through harmful character attacks aimed at undermining her credibility.

As an ardent devotee, I can’t help but express my thoughts on the matter: The Wayfarer Parties, orchestrated by their chief legal representative, Mr. Freedman, have persistently pursued claims that, in my honest opinion, lack both factual substance and legal validity. Far from a genuine pursuit of justice, it appears these claims are strategically concocted to tarnish the reputation of Ms. Lively and cause harm not only to her but also to her husband, through the manipulative tactic of filing lawsuits against them.

In simpler terms, Lively’s legal team is asking the court to allow them to pursue compensation for legal fees and damages from Baldoni before the jury trial with the filmmaker, which is scheduled for March 2026, takes place separately.

The actress Lively is taking legal action against Baldoni, claiming sexual harassment on the set of “It Ends With Us.” Although Baldoni denies these accusations, his counterclaim was dismissed in early June by a judge who found that he didn’t provide enough evidence to prove that Lively and him had made defamatory statements about him.

In response to TopMob News, Freedman (Baldoni’s lawyer) declared that Lively’s supposed victory was actually unfounded.

Ms. Lively’s assertions hold no more validity now than they did yesterday, as Freedman pointed out. With the evidence supporting us, we press ahead with the same conviction we had when this dispute first began with Ms. Lively and her allies.

For a complete timeline on Lively and Baldoni’s legal saga, read on.

After the movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s book “It Ends With Us” was released in cinemas four months ago, Blake Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) against her costar Justin Baldoni and several associates on December 20th, as reported by The New York Times.

In the complaint obtained by TopMob News, Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios, its CEO Jamey Heath, its 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. were named as defendants.

Lively claimed in the complaint that Baldoni and his Wayfarer associates “initiated a complex media and digital campaign” in retaliation for speaking out about alleged misconduct on set, with Lively stating that she and other cast and crew members “endured invasive, unwelcome, unprofessional, and sexually inappropriate behavior” from Baldoni and Heath.

The actress further claimed that the alleged campaign against her caused significant harm to both her personal and professional life. The accusations listed in the complaint include sexual harassment; retaliation; failure to investigate, prevent, or remedy 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 alleged revenge-style defamation campaigns led by Baldoni and his associates against Lively, based on her CRD complaint. In their report, the newspaper shared messages from Baldoni’s team, including publicist Abel and crisis communications specialist Nathan, that were included in the complaint. Readers could find the related court documents on The New York Times‘s website. Reflecting on the situation, Lively told the outlet: “I hope my legal action sheds light on these underhanded strategies used to harm those who speak out against misconduct, and helps protect others from similar targeting.

Following the disclosure of Lively’s grievance, Bryan Freedman – legal representative for Baldoni, Wayfarer, and their associates – forcefully contested Lively’s allegations.

He issued a statement on The New York Times website, asserting that it was dishonorable for Lively and her representatives to make such grave and entirely unfounded accusations against Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their team, as a last-ditch effort to improve Lively’s tarnished reputation, which stemmed from her own statements and actions during the film campaign; interviews and media activities that were accessible in real time, unedited, enabling public commentary and opinion formation. These claims are entirely false, excessively salacious, and purposefully sensational with the intention to harm publicly and perpetuate a narrative in the media.

Freedman also justified Wayfarer’s move to engage a crisis manager, stating this was carried out prior to the movie’s marketing campaign.

Later, he explained that despite doing nothing proactive or retaliatory, the representatives of Wayfarer Studios merely responded to incoming media inquiries to ensure balanced and accurate reporting and monitored social activity. What is notably absent from the selectively presented correspondence is evidence that no proactive measures were taken with the media or otherwise; only internal strategy planning and private communication, which is standard practice among public relations professionals.

After the publication of an article by The New York Times on December 21, talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME) decided to part ways with Baldoni. Ari Emanuel, CEO of the agency’s parent company Endeavor, confirmed this to the outlet. However, it was later denied by WME that Ryan Reynolds, Lively’s husband, played a role in their decision to drop Baldoni, as Baldoni claimed in his subsequent lawsuit against The New York Times. In response to these allegations, WME stated to The Hollywood Reporter on January 1 that there was no truth to the claim that Reynolds had pressured Baldoni’s agent at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere. Furthermore, they emphasized that Baldoni’s former representative was not present at the premiere and that there was never any pressure from Reynolds or Lively to drop Baldoni as a client.

After Lively’s CRD filing and an article in The New York Times, several notable individuals expressed their support for Lively’s accusations against Baldoni. For instance, Colleen Hoover, author of It Ends With Us, posted on Instagram Stories: “At you, Blake Lively, you have always been truthful, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met… Never change. Never wilt.”

Jenny Slate, who played Baldoni’s character Ryle’s sister in a TV series, also voiced her support for Lively. In a statement to Today on Dec 23rd, she said: “As Blake Lively’s castmate and friend, I stand with her as she takes action against those reported to have planned and carried out an attack on her reputation… What has been revealed about the attack on Blake is terribly dark, disturbing, and wholly threatening. I commend my friend, I admire her bravery, and I stand by her side.”

Brandon Sklenar, who portrayed Lively’s love interest in a different series, shared a link to The New York Times article on his social media account, writing “For the love of God read this.”

Lastly, Lively’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants costars America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, and Amber Tamblyn expressed their solidarity with her.

Liz Plank recently shared news about her leaving “The Man Enough Podcast,” which she co-hosted with Baldoni and Heath. In an Instagram post, she explained that she will no longer be part of the podcast and expressed gratitude for the trust, stories, and community created during her time there. Despite not disclosing the reason behind her departure, it follows the recent allegations against Baldoni and his associates by Lively. Plank assured her followers that she remains dedicated to the values they built together and emphasized their collective pursuit of a better future. She mentioned that she would share more updates as she processes the situation, promising continued support for those fighting injustice.

As a loyal follower, I’d like to share that Stephanie Jones, Baldoni’s ex-publicist, and her agency Jonesworks LLC have filed a lawsuit against me, my company Wayfarer, Abel (formerly my publicist), Nathan (crisis communications specialist), and others in New York on December 24.

The lawsuit claims that Abel and Nathan collaborated secretly for months to publicly and privately attack Jonesworks, breach contracts, induce contractual breaches, and steal clients and business opportunities. They allegedly conspired behind my back to launch a smear campaign against one of my film co-stars, then used the ensuing crisis as an opportunity to drive a wedge between me and Jones, and falsely accuse her for this smear campaign when she had no involvement in it.

According to Abel’s LinkedIn profile, she worked at Jonesworks until last summer. The lawsuit alleges that even now that their own misconduct is being exposed, Abel and Nathan continue to falsely implicate Jones and defame her in the industry.

The suit also accuses Baldoni and Wayfarer (no longer Jonesworks clients) of repudiating their contractual obligations with Jonesworks and turning down attempts by Jones to resolve this dispute privately through arbitration.

I reached out to the defendants for a comment on these allegations.

According to a report published on December 23rd by Variety, Lively’s legal team claimed they obtained the texts mentioned in The New York Times article through a subpoena issued to Jonesworks. Freedman, who represents Nathan, Abel, Baldoni, and their associates at Wayfarer, further stated that none of his clients were subpoenaed regarding this matter, and he plans to take legal action against Jones for disclosing messages from Abel’s phone to Lively’s attorneys.

Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, Nathan, TAG, Abel, RWA Communications, Wallace and Street Relations filed a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times Dec. 31.

In the suit obtained by TopMob, The New York Times was accused of libel, false light invasion of privacy, promissory fraud and breach of implied-in-fact contract for its article about a retaliatory smear campaign the plaintiffs allegedly conducted against Lively after she voiced concerns about purported misconduct on set.

Saying the report was “false” and based on Lively’s CRD complaint, the plaintiffs denied the accusations and alleged messages cited in the article and complaint were taken out of context.

“Despite its claim to have ‘reviewed these along with other documents[,]’ the Times relied almost entirely on Lively’s unverified and self-serving narrative,” the lawsuit said, “lifting it nearly verbatim while disregarding an abundance of evidence that contradicted her claims and exposed her true motives.”

They alleged “it was Lively, not Plaintiffs, who engaged in a calculated smear campaign.” She denied this.

The New York Times said it planned to “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.”

“The role of an independent news organization is to follow the facts where they lead,” it stated to TopMob. “Our story was meticulously and responsibly reported. It was based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails that we quote accurately and at length in the article.”

On that particular day, Lively chose to initiate a legal action against Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, It Ends With Us Movie LLC, Nathan, Nathan’s company TAG, and Abel in New York. As per the court documents obtained by TopMob News, the suit accuses the defendants of various offenses including sexual harassment, retaliation, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, breach of contract, false light invasion of privacy, and aiding and abetting these actions.

The details of Lively’s grievances were initially outlined in the CRD complaint she filed earlier that month. Regarding the lawsuit filed against The New York Times by Baldoni and his associates, which did not name Lively as a defendant, her legal team stated in a response to TopMob that “the contents of this lawsuit do not alter the assertions made in her CRD and federal complaints.”

The statement further clarified that the premise behind Wayfarer’s lawsuit suggesting Lively’s administrative complaint was a ploy to avoid suing Baldoni, Wayfarer, and others is untrue. This is evident from the federal complaint filed by Lively earlier that day, as stated by her attorneys.

In their legal action against The New York Times, Baldoni and his team have made it clear that they are not finished with this matter. According to court papers, there are other wrongdoers implicated, and it should be understood that this will not be the only lawsuit they initiate. During a January 2 interview with NBC News, Baldoni’s attorney Freedman affirmed that they indeed intend to sue Lively.

The discussion surrounding Baldoni and Lively didn’t end with just headlines. For example, some social media users suggested that Reynolds, Lively’s husband, made light of Baldoni in his movie “Deadpool & Wolverine” through the character Nicepool.

Although Reynolds hasn’t publicly addressed these speculations, Baldoni’s lawyer Freedman did share his thoughts on the matter. During an interview on The Megyn Kelly Show (available on YouTube as of Jan 7), Freedman stated: “In my opinion, if your wife is sexually harassed, you don’t joke about Justin Baldoni. You don’t make light of the situation. Instead, you take it seriously, file HR complaints, raise the issue, and follow legal procedures. What you shouldn’t do is mock the person and turn it into a laughing matter.

Following Lively’s lawsuit, her legal team reported an increase in adverse actions against her, rather than referring to them as ‘attacks.’ In a statement made on January 7 to TopMob News, her attorneys stated that the federal case against Wayfarer in the Southern District of New York involves substantial claims of sexual harassment and retaliation, supported by tangible evidence. This isn’t a personal dispute stemming from ‘creative differences,’ but rather a situation where Wayfarer and its associates are accused of conducting unlawful, reprisal-driven astroturfing against Lively for standing up for herself and others on set. Since the filing of the lawsuit, they have continued to escalate their actions against Lively.

During this legal process, her lawyers encourage everyone to recognize that sexual harassment and retaliation are prohibited in all workplaces and industries. A common strategy to divert attention from such misconduct allegations is to ‘victim-blame’ by implying the victim instigated or deserved the behavior, or misunderstood the intentions, or even lied. Another common tactic is to swap the roles of the victim and offender, claiming that the offender is actually the one being victimized.

Lively’s legal team emphasizes that such tactics serve to normalize and minimize serious misconduct allegations. They also mention that media statements do not serve as a defense against her claims, and they are fully prepared to present their case in court.

It’s quite ironic that Blake Lively is accusing Justin Baldoni of manipulating media when her own team apparently organized this malicious assault by providing the New York Times with heavily edited documents before even filing the complaint.”

He further stated, “We are disclosing all the proof that will expose a pattern of intimidation and power-grabbing in the movie. Given her previous actions, this won’t be shocking as Blake Lively has a history of using others to issue threats and exert influence. We have the records and much more.

On January 16th in New York, Baldoni, Heath, Wayfarer, Abel (a publicist), Nathan (crisis communication specialist), and It Ends With Us Movie LLC filed a lawsuit against Blake Lively, Reynolds, her publicist Leslie Sloane, and Sloane’s firm Vision PR.

The complaint, obtained by TopMob News, accuses all parties of civil extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy through false light. Specifically, Lively and Reynolds are accused of breaching good faith, interfering with contracts, and causing economic harm, both intentionally and negligently.

The plaintiffs deny Lively’s claims of sexual harassment and a smear campaign against her. Instead, they accuse her of seizing control of It Ends With Us and working with Reynolds, Sloane, Jones, and others to harm the plaintiffs in the media after facing backlash for her film marketing. Lively claims she promoted the movie according to Sony’s plan.

The lawsuit alleges that the defendants collaborated with The New York Times to release a false and damaging news report. However, the outlet has stood by its report.

In response to TopMob, Freedman stated, “Either Blake Lively was deceived by her team or she intentionally and knowingly lied about the truth.

The legal team for Lively characterized his lawsuit as a common tactic used by abusers, stating to TopMob News that “This is yet another instance of a person accused of sexual harassment and retaliation attempting to shift blame onto the victim. Experts refer to this as DARVO: Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim Offender.”

Furthermore, they claimed that Baldoni was trying to manipulate the narrative by asserting that Lively had taken creative control and isolated the cast from him. They went on to say that evidence will reveal that both the cast and others experienced negative interactions with Baldoni and Wayfarer, and that Sony requested Lively to supervise their share of the film, which was subsequently successful in distribution.
it was consensual, it’s her fault. Their explanation for why this occurred to her: she was provocatively dressed.” In summary, while the victim is focusing on the abuse, the abuser is targeting the victim. This tactic of attacking the woman is pathetic, does not dispute the evidence in Lively’s complaint, and will ultimately fail.

Baldoni’s lawyers have shared previously unseen footage from the making of “It Ends With Us,” stating that the actor’s actions depicted in the video contradict Lively’s portrayal of him. The scene, according to Baldoni’s legal team, was intended to show the characters falling in love and longing for closeness. Both actors were acting professionally and respectfully within the context of the scene.

However, Lively’s legal team argues that the footage supports her account in the lawsuit. They claim that the actor improvised certain actions without prior discussion or consent, causing Lively discomfort. In a statement to TopMob News, they explained that the video shows Lively trying to distance herself and asking for the characters to merely talk. Women who have experienced workplace harassment might find Lively’s discomfort relatable, they added.

In their case, the pair wrote to the presiding judge, asking him to restrict Freedman, who leads Baldoni’s legal team, from discussing the details of the trial due to concerns about inappropriate behavior during the ongoing court proceedings.

In a seven-minute voice message I supposedly shared with Lively during the filming of “It Ends With Us,” it appears I referenced the movie’s rooftop scene she had rewritten. During an alleged gathering with Reynolds and our friend Taylor Swift, the revised script was discussed.

In the recording, I expressed my gratitude for friends like them, beyond the fact that they are two of the most imaginative individuals in the industry. I marveled at the collective creativity the three of us generated together, stating it was nothing short of extraordinary.

Additionally, in the message, I seemed to express remorse over my initial lukewarm response to Lively’s script, saying “I let you down. Something you should know about me is that I will acknowledge and apologize when I fall short.

Approximately a month following the submission of Lively’s legal complaint against Baldoni, a court hearing was scheduled for March 9, 2026.

Baldoni’s team made changes to their counterclaim against Lively, Reynolds, Sloane, and Vision PR Inc., filed on January 16 in the U.S. District Court, by adding The New York Times as a defendant, according to reports from TopMob News. In the revised claim, Baldoni accuses Lively and her team of conspiring together for months and spreading false information to The New York Times. The filing asserts that the newspaper selectively used communications without proper context, distorted them, and intentionally edited them to mislead.

Baldoni unveiled a website providing details about his lawsuit against Lively, which included his revised complaint and a chronology of significant events. Within this document, they claimed to have screenshots of text conversations between Lively, Reynolds, and Baldoni as evidence.

A month prior to the site’s debut, Freedman had announced that they would be releasing all text messages exchanged between the two parties.

In an interview with NBC News on January 2nd, Baldoni’s attorney stated, “We want the truth to be exposed. We want the documents to be available. We encourage people to make their own judgments based on the evidence presented.

During the filming of ‘It Ends With Us’, not just Ms. Lively, but two other female crew members also reported feeling uncomfortable with Mr. Baldoni’s behavior on set. These incidents were documented back in May 2023, and at that time, Mr. Baldoni acknowledged the complaints in writing. Contrary to the narrative the defendants have presented, he was aware that multiple women, including Ms. Lively, had expressed discomfort with his conduct. However, due to a threatening environment instigated by the defendants’ retaliation efforts, these two witnesses choose not to be named in the amended complaint as they fear backlash.”

In response to this, Freedman, representing Mr. Baldoni, disputed the claims and accused the complaint of containing “unsubstantiated hearsay”. He further stated that the unidentified individuals are no longer willing to support Ms. Lively’s allegations publicly.

Following Baldoni’s allegations that Sloane was spreading malevolent tales depicting him as a sexual harasser and organizing a smear operation at Lively’s behest, Sloane chose to request the dismissal of the legal case against them.

According to documents obtained by TopMob News, Sloane’s lawyer argued that there was no foundation for the claims brought against their client, and instead, she had been unjustly pulled into the lawsuit as a means of creating confusion or distraction in response to allegations made by Lively.

Nick Shapiro, a former Deputy Chief of Staff at CIA, was recruited by Lively to provide counsel on the legal communication strategy regarding the ongoing sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit in the Southern District of New York. This information was reported by a team member from Willkie Farr & Gallagher to Variety on February 28.

In a subsequent career move after working for the CIA under President Obama from 2013 to 2015, Shapiro assumed the role of Vice President for Global Security and Communications at Visa. Subsequently, he served as Airbnb’s Global Head of Crisis Management for three years before establishing his own consulting firm named 10th Avenue Consulting LLC.

The New York Times requested to be removed from a $400 million lawsuit involving Lively, Baldoni, Sloane, and Sloane’s company, as reported by TopMob News based on the court documents.

In simpler terms, the lawyers for The New York Times stated in a filing that Baldoni’s team has been presenting a one-sided account of events that attracted much attention but insisted that The Times should not be part of this ongoing dispute.

It was also mentioned that the initial $250 million lawsuit filed by Baldoni and his associates against The New York Times was dismissed, and subsequently, The Times became a part of the revised $400 million lawsuit, as revealed in court documents obtained by Deadline.

After The New York Times filed a motion to dismiss, U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman granted their request for a temporary halt on the exchange of information or documents, as documented by TopMob News.

The filing asked the judge to pause discovery proceedings, which he approved while reviewing The New York Times’ motion from February 28th.

In his March 4 decision, Judge Liman stated that The New York Times had provided “solid reasons” and a “strong argument suggesting their motion to dismiss is likely to succeed.”

He further noted that he didn’t believe the legal team representing Baldoni would be disadvantaged by this stay while the court decided on the pending motion.

In response to TopMob News, a spokesperson for The New York Times commented on the decision, stating, “We are pleased with the court’s recognition of the First Amendment values at stake here. The court has prevented Mr. Baldoni from overwhelming The Times with discovery requests in a case that should never have been brought against us.

Following Baldoni’s allegation that Lively exploited her friendship with Swift for greater creative influence on “It Ends With Us“, and his legal representatives attempting to summon the singer, Swift’s representative responded.

According to a statement released on May 9, Taylor Swift has not been present on the movie’s set. She had no role in casting or creative aspects, didn’t compose the music for the film, and neither watched any edits nor offered comments on it.

Taylor Swift was only connected to this movie because she allowed one of her songs, ‘My Tears Ricochet,’ to be used. However, it seems that the subpoena request is trying to generate sensational headlines by involving Taylor Swift in a way that doesn’t accurately reflect the case facts. Instead, it appears to be using her name for increased public attention, similar to tabloid clickbait.

Baldoni’s attorneys withdrew their request later that month, per Lively’s legal team.

In simpler terms, the judge ruled in favor of dismissing the counter-claim filed against Lively, Reynolds, Sloane, Vision PR, and The New York Times. This decision was made because Baldoni and his legal team were unable to substantiate their accusations of defamation or civil extortion.

In her Instagram Stories, Lively expressed her experience with a lawsuit filed in response, which included feelings of artificial humiliation intended to undermine us. After the dismissal of the case, she stated that, unlike some others, she had the means to defend herself, but many people don’t have the resources to do so.

She stated, ‘I express my love and gratitude towards those who supported me, whether we’re familiar or strangers. Rest assured, I’ll always cherish and champion each one of you.’

Instead, Baldoni’s lawyer informed TopMob News in a statement that Lively’s claim of victory is actually unfounded.

The attorney stated that the case revolves around unsubstantiated claims of sexual harassment and revenge, along with an alleged baseless character assassination. Interestingly, Ms. Lively’s own group labels this as ‘unverifiable’, since they can’t provide evidence for events that are said to be non-existent.

After sitting for a deposition at her lawyers’ office in New York, Lively’s legal team disputed media reports suggesting it was a confrontation with Baldoni. They later contested the notion that Lively required a significant number of people to testify on her behalf.

According to Lively’s argument, it was a fact that Baldoni was present in the room, along with other defendants mentioned in the lawsuit and their individual lawyers.

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2025-09-10 01:19