Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's Harassment Lawsuit Trial Set for March 2026

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni‘s legal battle officially has a trial date.

In the aftermath of my beloved Gossip Girl co-star filing a lawsuit against her It Ends With Us director and co-star last month, I’ve eagerly awaited the court date for this case. As a dedicated follower, I’m happy to share that TopMob News has confirmed the court will convene on March 9, 2026, as per the court documents they recently acquired on January 27.

In addition to Lively’s lawsuit, which alleges Baldoni of sexually harassing her on the 2024 Colleen Hoover movie adaptation set and hiring a crisis PR expert to damage her reputation to protect his own, there are other cases to be discussed during the upcoming hearing in New York.

In a recent filing, Judge Lewis J. Liman stated that the court proceedings will combine both parties’ cases, which includes Baldoni’s lawsuit demanding $400 million and accusing Lively of orchestrating her own smear campaign against him, as well as alleging that she usurped his role as director in the film “It Ends With Us”.

Liman’s submission also added another crucial date, stating that both parties will convene for a pre-trial hearing on February 3, 2025. This gathering is aimed at addressing Lively’s prior petition seeking to silence Bryan Freedman, Baldoni’s lawyer, during the rest of their court case due to allegations of “unprofessional behavior.” (Freedman has refuted these accusations.)

Regarding Baldoni, he not only took legal action against the New York Times over their reporting connected to the A Simple Favor star’s claims about a vengeful slander campaign, but also refuted the charges made by Lively concerning sexual harassment and reprisal.

According to Freedman’s statement to TopMob News in December, these allegations are entirely untrue, excessively sensationalized, and deliberately designed to cause harm and perpetuate a negative media story about Baldoni.

Similarly, both The New York Times and Lively have refuted any allegations of misconduct. Her legal team characterized Baldoni’s lawsuit against her as a desperate move.

The story is as old as time: A woman presents solid proof of sexual harassment and retaliation, only for the accused to counter-attack the accuser instead. This tactic is often referred to as DARVO – Deny the allegations, Attack the accuser, and Reverse the roles of Victim and Offender. That’s what was stated by Lively’s attorneys on Jan 16th in a report to TopMob News.

As a committed adherent, I’d express my stance as follows: In light of the legal action arising from the The New York Times situation, I stand resolute in my commitment to vigorously defend our publication against these claims.

As a diligent follower, I stand by my commitment to unraveling truths as they unfold, mirroring the ethos of an autonomous news entity. In our case, we painstakingly and responsibly gathered information for our story. This involved scrutinizing countless original documents such as text messages and emails, which we’ve accurately and extensively quoted within the article itself.

For a complete breakdown of Baldoni and Lively’s legal battle, read on…

Four months following the theater release of the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s book “It Ends With Us,” Blake Lively submitted a complaint to the 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, named Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios (Wayfarer), its CEO Jamey Heath, its co-founder 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 alleged that Baldoni and his Wayfarer associates “initiated a complex press and digital strategy in retaliation” after she voiced concerns about supposed misconduct on set, with her claiming that she and other cast and crew members “endured invasive, unwelcome, unprofessional, and sexually inappropriate behavior” from Baldoni and Heath.

Lively further claimed that the alleged campaign against her resulted in “significant harm” to her personally and professionally. 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 expose detailing a supposed counterattack smear operation that Baldoni and his colleagues were accused of orchestrating against Lively, based on her CRD complaint. In their article, the publication shared messages exchanged between Baldoni, Abel (his publicist), Nathan (crisis communications expert) and others, which were part of her complaint. The online version of The New York Times also provided access to the court documents pertaining to this case. Lively expressed her hope that her legal action would expose these underhanded retaliatory tactics used to harm those who speak out against misconduct, and safeguard others who might be targeted in a similar manner.

Following the revelation of Lively’s allegations, I, as a staunch supporter, find myself compelled to echo Bryan Freedman’s strong rebuttal. It’s disheartening that Lively and her representatives would levie such grave and undeniably false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their associates. This seems like another desperate move to salvage Lively’s tarnished reputation, which was earned through her own words and actions during the film’s promotional campaign; remarks and actions that were visible for all to see in real time, unedited, allowing public scrutiny and opinion formation.

In a statement on The New York Times website, Freedman declared these claims to be entirely false, excessively sensational, and deliberately crafted to cause harm, with the intention of perpetuating a narrative in the media.

Freedman also defended Wayfarer’s decision to engage a crisis manager, stating that this was done prior to the movie’s marketing campaign. He further clarified that Wayfarer’s representatives did not take any proactive measures nor retaliate, instead only responding to incoming media inquiries to ensure balanced and accurate reporting, and monitoring social activity.

What is conspicuously absent from this selectively presented correspondence, he later added, is the evidence of a lack of proactive measures taken with media or otherwise; only internal strategic planning and private communication, which is standard practice among public relations professionals.

After an article published by The New York Times on December 21, William Morris Endeavor (WME) severed ties 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 any role in their decision to part ways with Baldoni. This claim was made by Baldoni in his subsequent lawsuit against The New York Times (more on that below). In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter on January 1, WME clarified that the allegation in Baldoni’s filing that Reynolds pressured Baldoni’s agent at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere was untrue. They added that Baldoni’s former representative was not present at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere and there was no 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, various notable figures expressed their support for her allegations against Baldoni. For instance, the author of ‘It Ends With Us’, Hoover, posted on Instagram Stories, “Blake Lively, you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met.” She continued, expressing gratitude towards Lively and encouraging her to remain unchanged.

Jenny Slate, who played Baldoni’s sister in a series, also expressed solidarity with Lively. In a statement to Today on December 23rd, she said, “As Blake Lively’s castmate and friend, I voice my support as she takes action against those reported to have planned and carried out an attack on her reputation.” She further added that Lively is a leader, loyal friend, and emotional pillar for many.

Brandon Sklenar, a love interest in Lively’s character Lily Bloom, shared a link to the complaint published on The New York Times’ website along with the caption, “For the love of God read this.”

Moreover, Lively’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants co-stars America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, and Amber Tamblyn wrote they “stand with her in solidarity.

Liz Plank recently shared her decision to step down from co-hosting “The Man Enough Podcast” on Instagram, a show she hosted with Baldoni and Heath. In her post, she expressed gratitude for the trust, stories, and community that the podcast provided over the past four years. Although she did not specify the reason for her departure, it followed closely after Lively’s complaint against Baldoni and his associates at Wayfarer.

Plank emphasized her continued commitment to the values built during her time on the show and thanked her followers for their trust and support. She also promised to share more about her thoughts and feelings as she processes recent events, while continuing to support those who fight against injustice and hold accountable those standing in their way.

In a lawsuit filed in New York on Christmas Eve, Stephanie Jones, Baldoni’s former publicist, and her agency Jonesworks LLC accused Baldoni, his company Wayfarer, his current publicist Abel, and crisis communications specialist Nathan of secretly colluding for months to harm Jones and Jonesworks. The suit alleges that they breached contracts, induced contractual breaches, and stole clients by orchestrating a smear campaign against Baldoni’s film co-star without Jones’ knowledge. After the smear campaign became public, Abel and Nathan reportedly turned on Jones, falsely accusing her for their own misconduct, and defaming her in the industry.

Abel, who worked at Jonesworks until last summer according to her LinkedIn profile, is also accused of continuing to blame Jones for the smear campaign now that her own actions are being exposed. The suit further alleges that Baldoni and Wayfarer, who are no longer clients of Jonesworks, breached their contractual obligations with Jonesworks and refused to settle the dispute privately in arbitration.

When contacted for comment, the defendants did not respond.

In a statement given to Variety on December 23, Lively’s lawyers revealed they acquired the texts mentioned in The New York Times article through a subpoena issued to Jonesworks. Freedman, who represents Nathan, Abel, and Baldoni, as well as their associates at Wayfarer, further stated that none of his clients were served with a subpoena on this matter. He also indicated his intention to file a lawsuit against 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, they have accused The New York Times of libel, false light invasion of privacy, promissory fraud, and breach of an implied-in-fact contract due to their article about a supposed retaliatory smear campaign the plaintiffs allegedly waged against Lively after she voiced concerns regarding misconduct on set.

The plaintiffs claim the report was untrue and based solely on Lively’s CRD complaint, denying the accusations and arguing that messages cited in the article and complaint were taken out of context. The lawsuit asserts that the Times relied heavily on Lively’s narrative, which they consider unverified and self-serving, while disregarding evidence contradicting her claims and exposing her true motives.

The plaintiffs also allege that it was Lively, not them, who initiated a calculated smear campaign, an allegation she has denied. In response, The New York Times has stated they intend to “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.” They claim their story was thoroughly and responsibly reported, based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails quoted accurately in the article.

On the same day, Lively initiated a legal action against Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, It Ends With Us Movie LLC, Nathan, Nathan’s company TAG, and Abel in New York. The court documents reveal that she is accusing the defendants of sexual harassment, retaliation, failing to address harassment, aiding and abetting harassment and retaliation, breach of contract, causing emotional distress intentionally and negligently, and invading her privacy through false light.

The allegations against the defendants were previously detailed in the CRD complaint Lively filed earlier that month. In response to the lawsuit filed against them, Baldoni and his associates counter-sued _The New York Times_ (which does not name Lively as a defendant). However, her lawyers responded to TopMob stating that “the claims made in this lawsuit do not alter anything about the allegations in her CRD and federal complaints.”

“This lawsuit is based on the incorrect assumption that Lively’s administrative complaint against Wayfarer and others was a ploy to avoid filing a lawsuit against Baldoni, Wayfarer, and that ‘litigation was never her ultimate goal,'” they added. “As demonstrated by the federal complaint filed by Lively today, this premise for the Wayfarer lawsuit is false.

In their legal action against The New York Times, Baldoni and his team have made it clear that they have not finished their fight. According to court documents, there are other parties involved who have acted improperly, and they intend to file more lawsuits. During a January 2 interview with NBC News, Baldoni’s attorney Freedman confirmed that they indeed plan to take legal action against Lively as well.

The news about Baldoni and Lively hasn’t ended yet. For example, social media users have suggested that Reynolds might have teased Baldoni in his movie “Deadpool & Wolverine” through the character Nicepool.

Reynolds has not responded to these rumors publicly; however, Baldoni’s lawyer Freedman shared his thoughts on the matter. In an interview on “The Megyn Kelly Show,” posted to YouTube on January 7, Freedman said:

“In my opinion, if your wife is sexually harassed, you don’t make light of Justin Baldoni’s situation. You don’t turn it into a joke. Instead, you take it seriously. You file complaints through HR and follow legal procedures. What you shouldn’t do is make fun of the person and mock their situation.

In a statement released on January 7, Lively’s attorneys clarified that the ongoing federal lawsuit against Wayfarer Entertainment in the Southern District of New York is about substantial charges of sexual harassment and retaliation. They emphasized that this is not a dispute stemming from creative differences or a he-said-she-said scenario, but rather an instance of unlawful astroturfing by Wayfarer Entertainment and their associates against Lively for standing up for herself and others on the film set. The lawyers also pointed out that since Lively filed the lawsuit, there have been further attacks against her.

They urged everyone to recall that sexual harassment and retaliation are unlawful in all workplaces and industries. They warned against tactics such as blaming the victim or suggesting they invited the behavior, bringing it upon themselves, or lying. Another tactic is to reverse the roles of the victim and offender, implying that the offender is actually the victim. Lively’s lawyers stated that these concepts aim to minimize and trivialise serious misconduct allegations. Lastly, they emphasized that media statements are not a defense against her claims, and they will pursue them in court.

On January 16th, Baldoni, Heath, Wayfarer, publicist Abel, crisis communication specialist Nathan, and It Ends With Us Movie LLC filed a lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds, Leslie Sloane (her publicist), and Vision PR in New York. The allegations made in the suit, obtained by TopMob News, include civil extortion, defamation, false light invasion of privacy, breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, intentional interference with contractual relations, economic advantage, and negligent interference with prospective economic advantage. The plaintiffs have denied Lively’s allegations of sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign against her. They claim that she seized control of It Ends With Us and collaborated with Reynolds, Sloane, Jones, and others to tarnish the reputation of the plaintiffs in the media after facing criticism for promoting the film (Lively has stated in her filings that she promoted the movie according to Sony’s marketing plan).

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs claim that the defendants collaborated with The New York Times to publish a sensational news story that was as untrue as it was damaging. However, the outlet maintains its stance on the report’s accuracy.

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

Lively’s legal team referred to his lawsuit as a “new episode in the script of an abuser,” stating to TopMob News, “This scenario is familiar: A woman presents solid evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation, and the abuser tries to shift the blame onto the victim. This tactic is often known as DARVO – Deny the allegations, Attack the accuser, Reverse the Victim and Offender.

She also claimed that he responded by counter-attacking after she leveled accusations against him, asserting that Baldoni is attempting to change the focus of the situation, implying that Lively took control creatively and distanced the cast from Mr. Baldoni.

It was further stated,” it went on, “that the actors and others had their own unpleasant encounters with Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer. Additionally, the evidence will demonstrate that Sony tasked Ms. Lively to supervise Sony’s portion of the film, which they subsequently chose for distribution and ultimately became a significant success.

Her team went on to slam Baldoni’s reaction to her allegations of harassment.

As an ardent supporter, I can’t help but express my dismay at their defense tactics regarding the sexual harassment accusations against them. Instead of owning up to their actions, they’ve chosen to shift the blame, claiming that she wanted it and it was her fault. Moreover, their explanation for the incident – “look what she was wearing” – is nothing short of appalling.

In essence, while the victim is grappling with the abuse, the abuser is targeting the victim. This tactic of blaming the woman is pathetic and desperate. It does not refute the evidence presented in Ms. Lively’s complaint, and it will certainly fall flat. Her lawyers have made it clear that this strategy will not succeed.

As a devoted admirer, I’d like to share an interesting update: Baldoni’s legal team has disclosed exclusive footage from the set of “It Ends With Us“. The actions depicted in this video, according to their statement, directly contradict Ms. Lively’s portrayal of him.

In a statement, Baldoni’s legal team explained that the particular sequence was intended to depict the blossoming romance between the characters, with a strong desire for closeness. Both performers were acting appropriately within the context of the scene, maintaining a level of respect and professionalism throughout.

In their view, the video aligns precisely with what Ms. Lively claimed in her lawsuit, as it appears that every second of this incident was spontaneously acted out by Mr. Baldoni without any prior discussion or agreement.

In a statement provided to TopMob News, I shared that the video depicts Miss Lively pulling away and persistently requesting for the characters to simply converse. Any female who has experienced unwelcome physical contact at work might resonate with Miss Livery’s unease.

In their case, the couple wrote a letter to the presiding judge, asking for Freedman, who heads Baldoni’s legal team, to be subjected to a restraining order on speaking publicly, to prevent any inappropriate behavior during the ongoing legal process.

A seven-minute audio message supposedly sent by Baldoni to Lively during the filming of “It Ends With Us” was made public. In this recording, it seems that the director discussed the movie’s rooftop scene that Lively rewrote, and how these alterations were reportedly presented to him in a meeting involving Reynolds and their mutual friend Taylor Swift.

He shared with Lively, “It’s fantastic to have friends as inventive as them, not just because they’re among the most creative individuals globally. The trio of you combined is simply amazing and hard to believe!

In the recording, it appears Baldoni also seemed to express an apology towards the actress for his less-than-enthusiastic response to her script. He said, “I made a mistake. A key aspect of my character is that I’ll own up to and apologize when I fall short.

2025-01-28 07:29

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s Harassment Lawsuit Trial Set for March 2026

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