Blake Lively Dazzles at Premiere Amid Controversial Justin Baldoni Lawsuit!

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Spotted: Blake Lively showing some XOXO for her latest film. 

Previously a cast member from “Gossip Girl,” she graced the red carpet for the debut of “Another Simple Favor” at the SXSW film festival on March 7, and she undoubtedly made a stylish entrance.

In the upcoming movie sequel to “A Simple Favor” from 2018, where Blake reprises her role as Emily Nelson, she opted for a chic mauve A-line dress with a doily hemline for the event. To finish off her timeless look, the 36-year-old actress sported her iconic wavy hairstyle.

She was seen taking autographs and posing for selfies with admirers among the spectators, followed by shedding an outer garment for photographs on the red carpet.

In the meantime, Anna Kendrick, who is 39 years old, opted for an edgy look with a black strapless bustier top and sleek black pants.

Approximately two weeks before the movie’s debut, fans got a glimpse of Blake and Anna (reprising her role as Stephanie Smothers) joining forces again in the trailer for Another Simple Favor. In the February 26th preview, their on-screen characters become entangled in a more vindictive plotline, all while expressing their deepest affection through a playful exchange of sharp and sarcastic compliments.

Initially, the duo’s project was based in New York. However, an unexpected turn of events led them to Italy. This was because Stephanie received an impromptu invitation to serve as Emily’s maid of honor at her wedding.

Apart from readying herself for the upcoming dark comedy sequel’s release, the actress is simultaneously gearing up for a court appearance alongside her “It Ends With Us” co-star and director, Justin Baldoni. She filed a lawsuit against him in December, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation. However, Justin has refuted these claims, stating that they are fabricated stories.

In March 2026, the trial will also consider Justin’s lawsuit against Blake, which was initiated in January and alleges defamation and a malicious smear campaign. Blake Brown, her husband Ryan Reynolds (also named in Justin’s suit), have both denied any wrongdoing regarding these accusations.

A woman presents clear proof of sexual harassment and retaliation, but the accused instead tries to shift the blame onto the victim. This tactic is commonly referred to as DARVO – Deny the allegations, Attack the accuser, Reverse the roles of Victim and Offender.

Approximately a month following the release of Justin’s lawsuit, Blake submitted a revised complaint. Her legal team expressed that this modification offers substantial new evidence and support for her initial accusations.

Despite the ongoing court case, director Paul Feig is dispelling speculation that it’s causing friction in the release of the movie “Another Simple Favor”.

In a message sent on January 10th, he expressed, “What was said is completely unfounded. I apologize,” referring to the movie’s release. He added, “Despite what you may hear on social media nowadays, the film has been completed and will be out soon.

Keep reading for a full breakdown of Justin and Blake’s legal battle….

Four months after the movie adaption of Colleen Hoover’s book “It Ends With Us” hit theaters, I, Blake Lively, filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) against my costar Justin Baldoni and his associates on Dec 20th, as reported by The New York Times.

In the complaint, obtained by TopMob News, Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios (Wayfarer), 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.

I alleged in my complaint that Baldoni and his Wayfarer associates retaliated against me with a complex press and digital strategy after I voiced concerns about alleged misconduct on set. I claimed that myself, along with other cast and crew members, experienced intrusive, unwelcome, unprofessional, and sexually inappropriate behavior by Baldoni and Heath.

The actress further stated that this alleged campaign against her caused significant harm to both my personal and professional life.

The allegations 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 a suspected counterattack defamation campaign led by Baldoni and his allies against Lively, based on her CRD complaint. In this report, the publication shared messages exchanged between Baldoni, Abel (his publicist), Nathan (crisis communications specialist), and others that were part of her complaint. The newspaper’s website also provided access to related court documents for readers. As quoted by the outlet, Lively expressed hope that her legal action would reveal these underhanded tactics meant to damage those who speak out against misconduct and safeguard others who might be targeted in a similar manner.

Following the disclosure of Lively’s complaint, Bryan Freedman – attorney for Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their representatives – strongly disputed Lively’s allegations. In a statement on The New York Times website, he expressed that it was unfortunate that Lively and her representatives would make such grave and wholly false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their representatives. This, Freedman suggested, was another desperate ploy to improve Lively’s tarnished reputation, which stemmed from her own comments and actions during the film campaign; public interviews and press activities that were observed in real-time and unedited, allowing for widespread online opinions and speculation.

Freedman further explained that these claims are entirely false, excessive, and deliberately sensational with the intention of causing harm and resurrecting a media narrative. He also defended Wayfarer’s decision to hire a crisis manager before the movie marketing campaign began. He added that although Wayfarer Studios did not take any proactive measures nor retaliate, they only responded to incoming media inquiries to ensure accurate and fair reporting and kept track of social activity. Importantly, he noted that the selectively shared correspondence failed to show evidence of any proactive measures taken with the media or otherwise; instead, it reflected internal planning and private communication, which is common practice among public relations professionals.

After an article by The New York Times was published on December 21, William Morris Endeavor (WME) chose to end their association with Baldoni. This decision was confirmed by Ari Emanuel, the CEO of WME’s parent company, Endeavor, speaking to the outlet. However, it is important to note that WME has denied any involvement from Ryan Reynolds in the separation between them and Baldoni, a claim later made by Baldoni in his lawsuit against The New York Times. In his filing, Baldoni alleged that Reynolds pressured Baldoni’s agent at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere. However, WME stated that this is not true. They clarified that Baldoni’s former representative was not present at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere and there was no pressure from Reynolds or Lively to drop Baldoni as a client at any point in time.

Following Lively’s CRD filing and the New York Times article, several well-known personalities expressed their support for Lively regarding the allegations against Baldoni. For instance, the author of “It Ends With Us,” Hoover, showed her backing on Instagram Stories. Similarly, Jenny Slate, who played Baldoni’s sister in a series, stated that she stands with Lively. Brandon Sklenar, a love interest for Lively’s character, shared the complaint published on The New York Times website and linked to the outlet, encouraging others to read it. 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 on Instagram that she is stepping down from her co-host role on “The Man Enough Podcast”. In her message, she expressed gratitude for the trust and support of listeners over the past four years, and emphasized the love she has for the community they built together. Although she didn’t specify a reason, her decision comes shortly after Blake Lively’s complaint against Baldoni and his associates at Wayfarer. Plank concluded by stating that she remains committed to their shared values, and will continue to support those who fight injustice. She also hinted at sharing more about the situation soon as she continues to process everything that has occurred.

Stephanie Jones, Baldoni’s ex-publicist, and her agency, Jonesworks LLC, have filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, his company Wayfarer, his current publicist Abel, and crisis communications specialist Nathan in New York on December 24th. The lawsuit claims that Abel and Nathan conspired for months to publicly and privately attack Jones and Jonesworks, breach contracts, induce contractual breaches, and steal clients and business opportunities. They allegedly coordinated with Baldoni and Wayfarer to carry out a smear campaign against one of Baldoni’s film co-stars, using the ensuing crisis to drive a wedge between Jones and Baldoni, and wrongly accusing Jones for the smear campaign when she was not involved.

According to Abel’s LinkedIn profile, she worked at Jonesworks until last summer. The lawsuit alleges that Abel and Nathan are now falsely blaming Jones as their misconduct is exposed, defaming and attacking her in the industry. Baldoni and Wayfarer, who are no longer Jonesworks clients, are accused of breaching their contractual obligations with Jonesworks and refusing to settle this dispute privately in arbitration.

TopMob News reached out to the defendants for comment.

In a statement given to Variety on December 23rd, Lively’s legal team disclosed that they acquired the texts mentioned in The New York Times article through a subpoena issued to Jonesworks. Freedman, who represents both Nathan, Abel, Baldoni, and Wayfarer associates, further clarified to the outlet that none of his clients were subpoenaed regarding this matter. He also expressed his intention to take legal action against Jones for disclosing messages from Abel’s phone to Lively’s attorneys.

On December 31st, Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, Nathan, TAG, Abel, RWA Communications, Wallace, and Street Relations filed a lawsuit against The New York Times. 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 for their article about a supposed retaliatory smear campaign the plaintiffs allegedly conducted against Lively after she expressed concerns about purported 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. According to the lawsuit, The New York Times relied heavily on Lively’s unverified narrative while disregarding evidence that contradicted her claims and exposed her true motives.

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

On that very 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 lawsuit filed, as confirmed by TopMob News from court documents, alleges sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, false light invasion of privacy, and aiding and abetting these offenses.

The accusations in the lawsuit were initially detailed in the CRD complaint Lively submitted earlier that month. In response to the lawsuit filed against them (which does not list Lively as a defendant), Baldoni and his associates responded by filing a lawsuit against The New York Times. Lively’s attorneys, in response to TopMob, stated that “the false premise in this lawsuit is that Lively’s administrative complaint against Wayfarer and others was a ruse, and that litigation was never her ultimate goal.” However, as demonstrated by the federal complaint filed by Lively earlier that day, this perspective on the lawsuit is incorrect.

As a committed supporter in the legal action taken by Baldoni and his allies against The New York Times, I can confirm that our fight is not over yet. The court documents reveal that there are more unscrupulous parties at play, and let me be clear – this will not be our final lawsuit. In an interview with NBC News on January 2nd, Baldoni’s legal representative, Freedman, confirmed that we indeed intend to bring charges against Lively as well.

The chatter surrounding Baldoni and Lively hasn’t subsided, with many social media users suggesting that Reynolds mocked Baldoni in his film “Deadpool & Wolverine” through the character Nicepool.

Reynolds has yet to respond publicly to these rumors, but Baldoni’s lawyer, Freedman, has shared his opinion on the matter. During an interview on The Megyn Kelly Show (available on YouTube as of Jan 7), Freedman stated, “If your wife is sexually harassed, you don’t make light of Justin Baldoni’s situation. You treat it seriously, file complaints, and follow legal procedures. What you don’t do is laugh it off and turn it into a joke.

In response to the lawsuit filed by Lively, her legal team has stated that there have been ongoing hostile actions against her, rather than a simple disagreement or he-said-she-said scenario. According to their statement to TopMob News on January 7th, Lively’s complaint alleges that Wayfarer and its associates unlawfully retaliated against her for defending herself and others on a film set through astroturfing. Since the filing of the lawsuit, they have continued to attack Lively further.

The legal team emphasized that sexual harassment and retaliation are illegal in all workplaces and industries. They warned against tactics such as blaming the victim or suggesting that the alleged offender is actually the victim, which are often used to divert attention from misconduct allegations. These strategies, they said, can trivialize serious misconduct claims. Moreover, they pointed out that media statements do not serve as a defense against Lively’s claims and they will be presenting their case in court.


 

In a lawsuit filed on January 16th in New York, Baldoni, Heath, Wayfarer, publicist Abel, crisis communication specialist Nathan, and It Ends With Us Movie LLC took legal action against Lively, Reynolds, Leslie Sloane (publicist), and her firm Vision PR. The lawsuit alleges various offenses including civil extortion, defamation, false light invasion of privacy, breach of good faith, intentional and negligent interference with contracts, and economic advantage.

The plaintiffs refute Lively’s claims of sexual harassment and retaliatory smear campaign, instead accusing her of seizing control over ‘It Ends With Us’ and collaborating with Reynolds, Sloane, Jones, and others to tarnish the plaintiffs’ reputation in the media after she faced criticism for promoting the film. Lively, however, contends that she followed Sony’s marketing plan when promoting the movie.

In the lawsuit, plaintiffs claim that defendants collaborated with The New York Times to release a sensational news story, which turned out to be not only inaccurate but also damaging. However, the media outlet maintains its stance on the report’s accuracy.

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

Lively’s legal team labeled his lawsuit as “an additional instance in the script of an abuser,” explaining to TopMob News, “This scenario is familiar: A woman reveals solid proof of sexual harassment and retaliation, and the abuser tries to counterattack the accuser. This tactic is commonly known as DARVO – Deny the allegations, Attack the accuser, Reverse Victim and Offender.

I’m not just a casual observer here; I’m an ardent fan who can’t help but delve deeper into this intriguing drama. Let me tell you, she didn’t stop there in her accusations. She claimed that Baldoni, in response to her allegations, was attempting to divert attention from the fact that Lively took creative control and supposedly alienated the cast from Mr. Baldoni himself.

The speaker went on to say, “The proof will make clear that both the cast and others encountered unpleasant encounters with Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer. Furthermore, it will be demonstrated that Sony tasked Ms. Lively with supervising their portion of the film, which they subsequently chose for distribution and turned out to be a significant hit.

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

In a nutshell, their defense against sexual harassment accusations revolves around blaming the victim, suggesting she invited or deserved it. This is based on what they claim she was wearing at the time. However, her legal team asserted that this approach is misguided as it does not refute the evidence presented in Ms. Lively’s complaint and ultimately will not succeed. The essence of their argument is that while the victim concentrates on the abuse, the abuser concentrates on shifting blame to the victim.

In simpler terms, Baldoni’s lawyer shared unreleased footage from the set of ‘It Ends With Us’, stating that the actor’s behavior in the clip contradicts what Ms. Lively claimed about him.

As a lifestyle expert, I’d rephrase it like this: In this particular setting, the intention was to depict the blossoming romance between the two characters, their yearning for intimacy. It’s important to note that both actors are skillfully portraying their roles, maintaining a respectful and professional dynamic throughout.

In their view, the video aligns exactly with what Ms. Lively stated in her lawsuit, as it appears that every scene where Mr. Baldoni acted was spontaneous, without any prior discussion or agreement.

The video depicts Ms. Lively pulling back and persistently requesting that the characters converse instead, as stated to TopMob News. Any woman who has experienced unwelcome physical contact at work can empathize with Ms. Lively’s unease.

 

In the context of my involvement in our ongoing case, I felt it necessary to pen a letter to the presiding judge, advocating for the imposition of a gag order on Freedman, who leads Baldoni’s legal team. The reasoning behind this request is to safeguard against any potential misconduct during the legal proceedings.

As a lifestyle expert, I’d put it this way: During the filming of “It Ends With Us,” I came across a seven-minute voice note that was reportedly sent by Baldoni to Lively. In this recording, he seemed to discuss the iconic rooftop scene that Lively rewrote and shared his thoughts on how these changes were presented during a meeting with Reynolds and our mutual friend, Taylor Swift, at an alleged gathering.

He said to Lively, “It’s great to have friends as imaginative as them, not just because they’re incredibly creative, but also because when the three of you are together, it’s simply astonishing!

In the recording, it appears Baldoni also expressed an apology to the actress for his cool response to her script. He said, “I made a mistake. Something important to understand about me is that I will acknowledge and apologize when I fall short.

Ever since I learned about the legal action Chad Baldwin took against Blake Lively last year, I’ve been eagerly awaiting updates. Finally, the day has arrived! The long-anticipated court date for our beloved stars’ case is set for March 9, 2026. Can’t wait to see how it all unfolds!

According to reports from TopMob News, Baldoni’s legal team has made changes to their counterclaim filed against Lively, Reynolds, and Sloane in the U.S. District Court on January 16th. The amended counterclaim now also involves The New York Times.

In the revised paperwork, Baldoni alleged that Lively and her associates conspired for months by disseminating untruths to The New York Times.

In a distinct matter, not linked to the $250 million lawsuit versus the NYT, it was claimed that the newspaper selectively chose and manipulated communications, removing crucial context, and intentionally edited them to deceive.

Baldoni established a website detailing his legal dispute with Lively, which includes the amended complaint submitted on January 31 by Baldoni’s representatives, as well as a chronology of significant events. The timeline document contains alleged text messages supposedly exchanged between Lively, Reynolds, and Baldoni.

The website went live a month following when Freedman announced that they intended to make public every single text conversation exchanged by the two parties.

In a January 2nd interview with NBC News, Baldoni’s legal representative stated, “We aim for transparency; we desire the relevant documents to be available. We believe individuals should have all the necessary evidence – in this case, receipts – to make their own informed decisions.

In the updated lawsuit, Lively’s legal team asserted that two additional female crew members from the set of “It Ends” had expressed discomfort due to Baldoni’s conduct on set.

TopMob News obtained a complaint stating that Ms. Lively was not the only one who voiced concerns about Mr. Baldoni. This complaint, dating back to May 2023, recorded the experiences of Ms. Lively and other individuals. Crucially, contrary to the story the Defendants have concocted, Mr. Baldoni admitted to receiving these complaints in writing at the time. He was aware that women besides Ms. Lively had expressed discomfort and lodged complaints about his conduct.

In the revised lawsuit, the two potential witnesses mentioned by Lively were left unnamed because of the potentially harmful environment filled with threats, harassment, and intimidation that appears to have been instigated by the defendants’ reprisal efforts.

Speaking to TopMob, Freedman criticized the accusation as being based on “flimsy rumors” and suggested that those anonymous individuals are no longer inclined to reveal themselves or endorse her allegations in public.

Following Baldoni’s allegations against Sloane for spreading “harmful rumors” that depicted him as a “sexual offender” and masterminding a “defamatory scheme” with Lively overseeing it, Sloane sought to have their involvement in the lawsuit terminated by filing a motion for dismissal.

According to documents obtained by TopMob News, Sloane’s lawyer claimed that there was no real ground for the charges brought against their client and that she had been unfairly drawn into the lawsuit as part of a “confusion tactic aimed at diverting attention away from” Lively’s allegations.

Nick Shapiro, who previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff at the CIA, was recruited by Lively to provide guidance on the legal communication strategy for the ongoing sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit in the Southern District of New York, according to a representative from her litigation team at Willkie Farr & Gallagher, as reported to Variety on February 28.

From 2013 to 2015, Shapiro served for the CIA under the Obama administration. Later, he held positions as Visa’s vice president of global security and communications, and Airbnb’s head of global crisis management. After spending three years at the rental company, he established his own consulting firm, named 10th Avenue Consulting LLC.

TopMob News has obtained documents showing that The New York Times, currently involved in a $250 million lawsuit with Baldoni, recently filed a motion to be released from a separate $400 million lawsuit that also includes Lively, Baldoni, and Sloane. In simpler terms, The New York Times is seeking to withdraw from the larger lawsuit, while still facing legal action from Baldoni.

In their court submission, the newspaper contended that Baldoni’s team was presenting a biased account that has attracted much media attention. However, they asserted that The Times should not be involved in this particular disagreement.

After The New York Times moved to have their case dismissed, U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman approved their request for a delay in the discovery process, as reported by TopMob News based on obtained documents.

The court has agreed to pause the requirement for parties to share information or documents, as per the newspaper’s request made on February 28th, while the judge reviews the case.

According to Liman’s statement in the document dated March 4, the New York Times provides “solid reasons” and demonstrates a “high likelihood of success” when it comes to their motion to dismiss being upheld based on its merit.

Additionally, the judge expressed his view that Baldoni’s legal team should not face an unfair disadvantage during the court’s consideration of the upcoming motion, as a stay might entail.

In an interview with TopMob News, a representative of the New York Times commented on the recent ruling, stating, “We’re pleased with today’s court decision, which acknowledges the significant First Amendment principles involved. The judge has prevented Mr. Baldoni from imposing discovery demands on The Times in a lawsuit that shouldn’t have been filed in the first place.

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2025-03-08 02:48