In a legal dispute between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, who co-starred in ‘It Ends With Us’, Blake has chosen to bring in additional support.
As a committed follower, I’ve chosen to share that I’ve enlisted Nick Shapiro, a former CIA deputy chief of staff, to help strategize the legal communications for the ongoing sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit I’m involved in, which is unfolding in the Southern District of New York. This decision was communicated by my litigation team at Willkie Farr & Gallagher to Variety on February 28.
From March 2013 through May 2015, Shapiro was part of the Central Intelligence Agency under President Barack Obama’s leadership. During this period, he functioned as a senior advisor to John Brennan, who served as the CIA director at that time, as stated in his LinkedIn profile.
After working for the government, Shapiro held the position of Vice President of Global Security and Communications at Visa for eight months. Subsequently, he took on the role of Global Head of Crisis Management at Airbnb for three years before establishing his own company, 10th Avenue Consulting LLC.
The announcement that Shapiro is part of Lively’s case arrived a week following when Leslie Sloane, who Baldoni is suing together with the actress and her spouse, Ryan Reynolds, petitioned the court for their removal from the ongoing legal matters.
According to TopMob News, in a motion filed on Feb 20th, Sloane’s lawyer contended that there was no grounds for Baldoni’s claim that she spoke negatively about him to the media. Instead, they suggested that Baldoni had involved Sloane in his legal dispute as a distraction tactic, masking Lively’s accusations with smoke and mirrors.
Initially, Lively filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni in December, claiming that he had fostered a hostile work environment while they were adapting the 2024 version of Colleen Hoover’s book and that he retaliated by defaming her character after she voiced her concerns.
In his counterclaim, Baldoni asserted that it was actually Lively and Reynolds, along with a PR agency, who plotted to tarnish his reputation by making false allegations against him.
A trial has been set for March 2026.
For more details on the legal battle between Lively and Baldoni, keep reading…
Approximately four months following the release of the movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s book “It Ends With Us” in cinemas, Blake Lively submitted a complaint to the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) against her costar Justin Baldoni and his associates on December 20th, as reported by The New York Times.
In the complaint obtained by TopMob News, Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios (Wayfarer), its CEO Jamey Heath, 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. were named as defendants.
Lively asserted in her complaint that Baldoni and his Wayfarer associates initiated a sophisticated press and digital campaign in retaliation for expressing concerns about alleged misconduct on set, with Lively stating she and other cast and crew members “encountered invasive, unwelcome, unprofessional, and sexually inappropriate behavior” from Baldoni and Heath.
The actress further claimed that this alleged campaign against her resulted in “significant harm” to both her personal and professional life.
The charges 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 revealed a report detailing a suspected counterattack smear operation orchestrated by Baldoni and his allies, allegedly aimed at Lively – with reference to her CRD complaint. In their article, the publication shared messages exchanged between Baldoni, Abel (his publicist), Nathan (crisis communications specialist), and others, as part of her complaint. The readers were also given access to the court documents on The New York Times’ official website. As a follower, I hope that my legal action serves to unveil these underhanded retaliatory tactics used to undermine individuals who speak out against wrongdoing, and ultimately, safeguard others who might be subjected to similar treatment.
Upon hearing about Lively’s complaints, I—as a dedicated supporter of Baldoni, Wayfarer, and their representatives—vehemently refuted her allegations. In a statement published on The New York Times website, Bryan Freedman, our attorney, expressed that it was disgraceful for Lively and her team to make such grave and unequivocally false accusations against Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their representatives. This, he stated, was yet another desperate ploy to salvage her tarnished reputation, which stemmed from comments and actions during the film’s campaign that were observed live and uncensored, allowing the public to form their own opinions. Freedman further stated these claims were entirely false, excessively sensational, and intentionally damaging, with the aim of causing harm and perpetuating a narrative in the media.
Furthermore, Freedman defended Wayfarer’s decision to hire a crisis manager, explaining that this was done before the movie’s marketing campaign. He later added that Wayfarer’s representatives only responded to incoming media inquiries to ensure balanced and accurate reporting and monitored social activity. Notably, he pointed out that the selectively shared correspondence lacked evidence of proactive measures taken with the media; instead, it showed internal strategy planning and private correspondence—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) severed ties with Baldoni. This was later confirmed by Ari Emanuel, CEO of the agency’s parent company Endeavor, to the outlet. However, it was WME who denied that Ryan Reynolds, Lively’s husband and also a client represented by WME, played any role in their decision to part ways with Baldoni. This claim, allegedly made by Baldoni in his lawsuit against The New York Times (more details below), was later refuted by WME. In response to The Hollywood Reporter, WME stated 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 for them to drop Baldoni as a client.
After Lively’s CRD filing and a New York Times article, several prominent individuals expressed their support for her accusations against Baldoni. For instance, the author of “It Ends With Us,” Hoover, posted on Instagram Stories linking to The New York Times. She praised Lively, saying she had always been honest, kind, supportive, and patient since they met. Another example is Jenny Slate, who played a character related to Baldoni’s, voicing her support for Lively in a statement to Today. Brandon Sklenar, a love interest in Lively’s series, shared the complaint published on The New York Times website, while Lively’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants costars, including America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, and Amber Tamblyn, expressed their solidarity with her.
Liz Plank recently shared her decision to leave ‘The Man Enough Podcast’, which she co-hosted with Baldoni and Heath. In a heartfelt message on Instagram, she expressed gratitude for her listeners, stating that they created something beautiful together over the past four years. Although she didn’t specify the reason for her departure, it followed closely after Lively’s complaint against Baldoni and his associates at Wayfarer. Plank assured her followers that she remains dedicated to the values they built together and will continue to speak out against injustice. She hinted at sharing more about this situation as she processes everything, but for now, she vowed to continue supporting those who challenge inequality.
Stephanie Jones, Baldoni’s former publicist, and her agency Jonesworks LLC have sued him, Wayfarer, his current publicist Abel, and crisis communications specialist Nathan in New York on December 24th. According to a lawsuit obtained by NBC News, Abel and Nathan allegedly conspired for months to publicly and privately attack Jones and Jonesworks, breach contracts, induce contractual breaches, and steal clients and business prospects. The lawsuit claims that behind Jones’s back, they coordinated with Baldoni and Wayfarer to launch a smear campaign against one of Baldoni’s film co-stars, using the resulting crisis as an opportunity to drive a wedge between Jones and Baldoni and to falsely blame Jones for the smear campaign. Abel had worked at Jonesworks until last summer, but the lawsuit alleges that she is now falsely accusing Jones of wrongdoing as her own misconduct comes to light. The suit also claims that Baldoni and Wayfarer, who are no longer clients of Jonesworks, have breached their contractual obligations with Jonesworks and refused to settle the dispute privately in arbitration. TopMob News reached out to the defendants for comment.
According to a report published on December 23rd by Variety, 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 Wayfarer associates, further clarified that none of his clients were subpoenaed regarding this matter. He also expressed his intention to sue Jones for disclosing messages from Abel’s phone to Lively’s legal team.
A group consisting of Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, Nathan, TAG, Abel, RWA Communications, Wallace, and Street Relations filed a lawsuit against The New York Times on December 31. In this lawsuit, The New York Times is being 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 conducted against Lively following her concerns about misconduct on set.
The report was deemed “false” by the plaintiffs, who claimed that it was based on Lively’s CRD complaint and that messages cited in the article and complaint were taken out of context. The lawsuit states that although The New York Times claims to have reviewed these documents, it primarily relied on Lively’s unverified and self-serving narrative, lifting her statements nearly verbatim while disregarding evidence contradicting her claims and exposing her true motives.
The plaintiffs also allege that it was Lively, not them, who engaged in a calculated smear campaign. However, Lively has denied this claim. In response to the lawsuit, The New York Times plans to “vigorously defend against it.” When contacted by TopMob, The New York Times stated that its story was thoroughly and responsibly reported. It claimed that the article was based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails that were accurately quoted in length within 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. According to court documents obtained by TopMob News, she is accusing these defendants of sexual harassment, retaliation, failing to address harassment, aiding and abetting such actions, breach of contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and invasion of privacy through false light.
The claims made in the lawsuit were initially outlined in the CRD complaint Lively filed earlier that month. In response to this lawsuit, Baldoni and his associates have taken legal action against The New York Times – which does not name Lively as a defendant. Lively’s lawyers responded to TopMob by stating that “the allegations in this lawsuit do not alter the validity of the claims in her CRD and federal complaints.”
They further added, “The basis for this lawsuit is the incorrect assumption that Lively’s administrative complaint against Wayfarer and others was a deceitful strategy to avoid filing a lawsuit against Baldoni, Wayfarer. However, as evidenced by the federal complaint filed by Lively today, this reasoning behind the lawsuit is false.
As a lifestyle expert speaking in the first person, I can say that in our ongoing legal battle against The New York Times, we, Baldoni and my associates, are far from finished. According to court documents, there are other parties who have acted unscrupulously, and let me be clear – this is not the end of our legal actions. In a recent interview with NBC News, my attorney Freedman and I confirmed that we indeed intend to file a lawsuit against Lively as well.
The chatter surrounding Baldoni and Lively hasn’t subsided, with many social media users suggesting that Reynolds may have poked fun at Baldoni in his film “Deadpool & Wolverine” through the character Nicepool.
However, Reynolds has remained silent on these rumors, yet Baldoni’s lawyer, Freedman, has spoken up about it. During an interview on The Megyn Kelly Show, which was posted to YouTube on January 7th, Freedman expressed his thoughts. He stated, “If your wife is sexually harassed, you don’t make light of Justin Baldoni’s situation. You treat it seriously. You file complaints, raise the issue, and follow due process. What you don’t do is mock the person and turn it into a joke.
In response to recent events, Lively’s legal team has clarified that the ongoing lawsuit against them is not a trivial dispute but a serious case of sexual harassment and retaliation. They assert that there have been further instances of unjustified attacks against Lively since she filed her lawsuit.
They emphasized that this situation is not a mere disagreement or he-said-she-said scenario, as claimed by Wayfarer and their associates. Instead, they allege that these individuals resorted to illegal, retaliatory astroturfing against Lively for standing up for herself and others on a film set.
As the legal process unfolds, her lawyers encourage everyone to be mindful that sexual harassment and retaliation are unlawful in all workplaces and industries. They warn against common tactics used to discredit victims, such as blaming them or suggesting they invited the behavior. Additionally, they pointed out that media statements do not serve as a defense for the allegations Lively has made, and they intend to pursue her claims in court.
In essence, Lively’s lawyers aim to counteract the normalization and trivialization of serious misconduct allegations by emphasizing their commitment to prosecuting the case fairly and justly.
On January 16th, Baldoni, Heath, Wayfarer, Abel (publicist), Nathan (crisis communication specialist) and It Ends With Us Movie LLC filed a lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds, Leslie Sloane (publicist), and Sloane’s firm Vision PR in New York. The lawsuit alleges that all defendants have committed civil extortion, defamation, and false light invasion of privacy. Specifically, the suit claims that Lively and Reynolds breached an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, interfered intentionally with contractual relations and economic advantage, and negligently interfered with prospective economic advantage. The plaintiffs deny Lively’s allegations of sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign against her. Instead, they accuse her of taking control of It Ends With Us and working with Reynolds, Sloane, Jones, and others to tarnish the reputation of the plaintiffs in the press after she faced criticism for promoting the film. (Lively claims in her filings that she promoted the movie according to Sony’s marketing plan.)
In their lawsuit, the plaintiffs claim that the defendants collaborated with The New York Times to publish a sensational but untrue news report. The media outlet maintains its report’s accuracy. Regarding the statement made to TopMob, Freedman stated, “Either Blake Lively was deceived by her team or she deliberately and consciously distorted the truth.
As a committed supporter, I’d like to share a perspective on a recent development: My legal team has termed my lawsuit as “an additional episode in the script of an abuser,” stating to TopMob News that this is a classic situation: A person (usually a woman) discloses solid proof of sexual harassment and retaliation, only for the abuser to attempt a counteroffensive. This tactic is often referred to as DARVO – Deny the allegations, Attack the accuser, Reverse the roles of Victim and Offender.
In addition, she pointed out that he responded by counter-attacking after she leveled accusations at him, claiming that Baldoni aims to divert attention from the fact that Lively took control creatively and reportedly estranged the cast from Mr. Baldoni.
It was further stated, “The proof we present will indicate that both the cast members and others encountered unfavorable encounters with Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer. Moreover, it will be demonstrated that Sony entrusted Ms. Lively to manage their portion of the film, which they subsequently chose for distribution and became highly successful.
Her team went on to slam Baldoni’s reaction to her allegations of harassment.
When confronted with sexual harassment accusations, they blamed the victim, stating she invited it or was at fault. Furthermore, their explanation for the incident centered around what she was wearing, according to her legal team. To summarize, rather than addressing the abuse, the abuser targets the victim. This strategy of blaming the woman is weak and will not withstand scrutiny in Ms. Lively’s case.
In my role as a lifestyle enthusiast, I recently came across some exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from the filming of “It Ends With Us.” My legal team has shared this material, stating that it clearly contradicts the portrayal of me by Ms. Lively. This footage provides a more accurate representation of my actions and demeanor on set.
The depicted scene, as stated by Baldoni’s legal team, was intended to convey the blossoming love between the characters and their desire for closeness. It is important to note that both actors were acting appropriately and professionally within the context of the scene, demonstrating mutual respect throughout.
According to Lively’s lawyers, the video supports every detail as claimed by Ms. Lively in her lawsuit. They argue that each moment depicted in the video was spontaneously created by Mr. Baldoni without any prior discussion or approval.
The video depicts Ms. Lively pulling back and insisting multiple times that the characters should simply converse, as reported to TopMob News in a declaration. Many women who have experienced workplace harassment can identify with Ms. Lively’s unease.
In simpler terms, they wrote to the judge asking for Freedman, who leads Baldoni’s legal team, to be restricted from discussing the case publicly during the court proceedings to prevent any inappropriate behavior.
Online, a seven-minute voice recording supposedly sent by Baldoni to Lively during the production of “It Ends With Us” was made public. In this recording, it seems that Baldoni mentioned the film’s rooftop scene, which Lively rewrote, and discussed how these alterations were presented to him in a meeting with Reynolds and their mutual friend Taylor Swift.
As a lifestyle connoisseur, I can’t help but express how fortunate I feel to have friends as remarkable as them, not just because they’re two of the most inventive individuals on earth, but because their collective energy is simply astounding.
In the recording, Baldoni appeared to express an apology to the actress for his cool response to her script, stating, “I made a mistake. Here’s something important about me: I will acknowledge and apologize when I fall short.
Approximately one month following Lively’s legal action against Baldoni, the scheduled court hearing was set for March 9, 2026.
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2025-03-01 00:18