Blake Lively is addressing her latest legal win.
Following a court’s decision to dismiss a $400 million countersuit against him, Justin Baldoni took to social media platforms to express his thoughts after Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane (the couple’s publicist), and The New York Times had shared their views on the matter. In other words, after the judge dismissed Baldoni’s lawsuit, he responded on social media following comments made by Reynolds, Sloane, and The New York Times.
Similar to many others, I’ve experienced the distress of a counter-lawsuit that attempts to inflict emotional harm, she stated in an Instagram Story post on June 9. ‘Although the lawsuit against me was dismissed, there are numerous individuals who lack the means to defend themselves.’
As an ardent admirer, I can’t help but echo the powerful sentiments expressed by the radiant star from “Simple Favor”. She passionately declared that she is more determined than ever before to champion every woman’s right to express themselves and safeguard their well-being. In line with her commitment, she generously shared a comprehensive list of organizations advocating for women’s rights, domestic violence prevention, and fair employment practices.
She finished her post with a heartfelt thank you to all those who supported her, saying “I may not personally know many of you, but my gratitude and advocacy for you will always be there.
In a dispute over the film “It Ends With Us,” Baldoni claimed that Lively took the project from him and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, and threatened to criticize him in the media if her requests were not granted. However, Judge Lewis J. Liman decided that Wayfarer Parties had not provided sufficient evidence that Lively’s threats were illegal extortion instead of legitimate negotiations or adjustments to work conditions, as suggested by documents obtained by TopMob News.
Baldoni’s lawsuit claimed that Lively, Reynolds, and Sloane collaborated with The New York Times to propagate a misleading story suggesting that Baldoni had sexually harassed Lively. This was partly done through the publication of an article in the Times in December.
However, in his rejection of the case, Liman stated that “The Wayfarer Parties didn’t allege that Reynolds, Sloane, or the Times would have harbored serious doubts about the truthfulness of these statements if they had this information, which is a necessary condition for them to be held accountable for defamation according to the relevant laws.” (It is also worth noting that another lawsuit filed by Baldoni against the Times, valued at $250 million, was also turned down.)
Liman’s dismissal gave Baldoni’s team a June 23 deadline to file an amended complaint.
TopMob News contacted the legal representatives of Baldoni and Wayfarer regarding the dismissal, however, we have yet to receive a response.
For more on Lively and Baldoni’s legal saga, keep reading.
Four months following the release of the movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s book “It Ends With Us” in cinemas, Blake Lively reportedly filed a complaint with 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, defendants listed included 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.
Lively claimed in her complaint that Baldoni and Wayfarer associates “launched a complex press and digital strategy” as retaliation for her expressing concerns about alleged on-set misconduct—with her stating that she, along with other cast and crew members, “endured invasive, unwelcome, unprofessional, and sexually inappropriate behavior” by Baldoni and Heath.
The actress further stated that the alleged campaign against her caused significant personal and professional harm. The accusations outlined in the complaint included sexual harassment, retaliation, failure to address harassment, aiding and abetting harassment and retaliation, breach of contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, false light invasion of privacy, and interference with prospective economic advantage.
The following day, The New York Times released an article detailing a supposed counter-attack smear strategy that Baldoni and his allies were accused of employing against Lively, referencing her CRD complaint. In their piece, the publication shared messages exchanged between Baldoni, Abel (his publicist), Nathan (crisis communications specialist), and others, which were included in her complaint. The newspaper’s website also made available the relevant court documents for readers to review. Lively expressed her hope that her legal action would expose these underhanded retaliatory tactics used to harm those who speak out against misconduct, and serve as a protective measure for others who might be targeted in the future.
—Reporting by Sara Ouerfelli
Following the disclosure of Lively’s complaint, Bryan Freedman – lawyer for Baldoni, Wayfarer, and their associates – strongly refuted Lively’s allegations. He stated in a release on The New York Times website: “It’s unfortunate that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such grave and entirely false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their representatives, as a desperate tactic to improve her tarnished reputation, which stemmed from her own statements and actions during the film campaign; interviews and press activities that were publicly observed in real-time and unedited, allowing for internet users to form their own opinions. These claims are entirely false, excessively sensational, and intentionally malicious with the aim of causing public harm and perpetuating a media narrative.”
Freedman also justified Wayfarer’s hiring of a crisis manager, explaining that this was done before the movie’s promotional campaign. Later, he added: “The representatives of Wayfarer Studios took no proactive measures nor retaliated, instead only responding to incoming media inquiries to ensure balanced and accurate reporting and monitoring social activity.”
What is notably absent from the selectively presented correspondence is any evidence that there were no proactive measures taken with the media or otherwise; just internal planning and private discussions – which is standard practice for public relations professionals.
In Baldoni’s filing, there is a claim that Reynolds pressured Baldoni’s agent at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere. This is not true.” They further clarified that Baldoni’s former representative was not present at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere and neither Reynolds nor Lively ever applied any pressure to drop Baldoni as a client at any time.
Following Lively’s CRD filing and the New York Times article, several notable figures expressed their support for her allegations against Baldoni. For instance, Colleen Hoover, author of “It Ends With Us,” posted on Instagram Stories, “Blake Lively, you have always been honest, kind, supportive, and patient since the day we met… Never change. Never wilt.”
Jenny Slate, who played a character related to Baldoni’s, also voiced her support for Lively in a statement to Today on December 23: “As Blake Lively’s castmate and friend, I express my solidarity as she takes action against those accused of damaging her reputation.” She further stated, “What has been exposed about the attack on Blake is incredibly dark, disturbing, and deeply threatening. I commend my friend, admire her bravery, and stand by her side.”
Additionally, Brandon Sklenar, a love interest for Lively’s character in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, shared a screenshot of the complaint published on The New York Times website and linked to the outlet with the caption, “For the love of God, read this.”
Furthermore, Lively’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants costars America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, and Amber Tamblyn expressed their solidarity with her.
Liz Plank recently shared her decision to step down from ‘The Man Enough Podcast’ on Instagram, where she expressed gratitude for the community they built over the past four years. Although she didn’t specify the reasons behind her departure, it followed Blake Lively’s complaint against Baldoni and his associates at Wayfarer. Plank emphasized that she remains committed to the values they established together and hopes to create a better environment in the future. She also mentioned that she will share more details soon as she processes recent events, and will continue supporting those who speak out against injustice.
In a lawsuit filed against him and several others on December 24th, Baldoni’s former publicist Stephanie Jones and her agency, Jonesworks LLC, claimed that Abel, Nathan, and Baldoni himself had conspired to harm Jones and her business for months. The conspiracy allegedly involved breaching contracts, inducing contractual breaches, stealing clients, and orchestrating a smear campaign against one of Baldoni’s film co-stars.
Behind Jones’ back, they coordinated with Baldoni and his company Wayfarer to execute this defamatory campaign, then used the resulting crisis as an opportunity to drive a wedge between Jones and Baldoni, falsely blaming Jones for the smear campaign when she had no involvement in it.
Abel, who worked at Jonesworks until last summer according to her LinkedIn profile, is accused of continuing to blame Jones as their own misconduct is exposed. The suit also claims that they have defamed and attacked her within the industry.
Baldoni and Wayfarer, who are no longer clients of Jonesworks, are alleged to have breached their contractual obligations with Jonesworks and refused her attempts to resolve this dispute privately through arbitration.
TopMob News reached out to the defendants for comment.
In a statement to Variety on December 23rd, Lively’s lawyers revealed they acquired the texts discussed in The New York Times article through a subpoena issued to Jonesworks. Freedman, who represents both Nathan, Abel, Baldoni, and their Wayfarer associates, further stated that none of his clients were served with a subpoena regarding this matter, and he plans to sue Jones for disclosing messages from Abel’s phone to Lively’s legal team.
Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, Nathan, TAG, Abel, RWA Communications, Wallace and Street Relations filed a lawsuit against The New York Times Dec. 31.
In the lawsuit obtained by TopMob News, The New York Times is 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 says, “lifting it nearly verbatim while disregarding an abundance of evidence that contradicted her claims and exposed her true motives.”
They also allege “it was Lively, not Plaintiffs, who engaged in a calculated smear campaign.” She has denied this.
The New York Times said it plans 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 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. As per court records acquired by TopMob News, she is charging the defendants with sexual harassment, retaliation, failing to address harassment, aiding and abetting such actions, breach of contract, intentionally causing emotional distress, negligently causing emotional distress, and invasion of privacy through false light.
The accusations in this lawsuit were initially outlined in the CRD complaint Lively filed earlier that month. In response to the lawsuit filed against them (which does not include Lively as a defendant), Baldoni and his associates have responded by filing a case against The New York Times. Regarding this, Lively’s legal team stated to TopMob News that “the claims in this lawsuit do not alter anything regarding the allegations in her CRD and federal complaints.”
They further explained that “the premise 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’ is false.” As evidence, they pointed out the federal complaint filed by Lively earlier on the same day.
In their legal action against The New York Times, Baldoni and his team have conveyed that they are far from finished. According to the court papers, there are more wrongdoers implicated in this case, and it’s clear that additional lawsuits will follow. In a recent interview with NBC News on January 2, Baldoni’s attorney Freedman confirmed their intention to sue Lively, stating they most definitely plan to do so.
The discussion about Baldoni and Lively hasn’t ended yet.
For example, social media users have suggested that Reynolds may have teased Baldoni in his film “Deadpool & Wolverine” through the character Nicepool.
Reynolds has not spoken publicly about these rumors; however, Baldoni’s lawyer Freedman shared his thoughts on the matter.
“To me, that implies if your wife is sexually harassed, you don’t joke about Justin Baldoni,” Freedman stated during an interview on “The Megyn Kelly Show”, which was posted to YouTube on January 7th. “You don’t make light of the situation. You treat it seriously. You file complaints with HR and follow legal procedures. What you don’t do is laugh at the person and turn it into a joke.
Ms. Lively’s legal team has emphasized that the lawsuit she filed against Wayfarer and its associates is based on substantiated allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation, not a personal dispute or hearsay. Since filing the suit, they claim that there have been further attempts to undermine Ms. Lively, which her team intends to address in court. They encourage everyone to remember that workplace sexual harassment and retaliation are unlawful in any industry. Furthermore, they warn against tactics such as blaming the victim or reversing the roles of offender and victim, as these strategies are often used to divert attention from misconduct allegations. The team emphasized that media statements do not serve as a defense to her claims.
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 (Lively’s publicist), and Vision PR in New York. The suit alleges that all defendants are guilty of 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 a retaliatory smear campaign against her. Instead, they accuse her of seizing control over It Ends With Us and working with Reynolds, Sloane, Jones, and others to tarnish the plaintiffs’ reputation in the media following criticism of Lively’s film promotion methods (which she claims were in accordance with Sony’s marketing plan).
In their lawsuit, plaintiffs claim that defendants colluded with The New York Times to publish a sensational report, which turned out to be untrue. Regardless, The New York Times maintains the validity of its report.
In response to TopMob, Freedman stated, “Either Blake Lively was deceived by her team or she deliberately lied about the truth.
In a statement made to TopMob News, Lively’s legal team referred to his lawsuit as “just another instance in the playbook of an abuser.” Essentially, they are claiming that this is a recurring pattern: A woman presents solid proof of sexual harassment and retaliation, and the abuser tries to shift the blame onto the accuser. This tactic is often referred to as DARVO by experts – Deny the accusations, Attack the accuser, Reverse the roles of Victim and Offender.
She also claimed that he responded by counter-attacking after she leveled accusations against him, asserting that Baldoni aims to divert attention from the fact that Lively took creative control and distanced the cast from Mr. Baldoni.
…”It’s clear,” it went on, “that the cast and others had unfavorable encounters with Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer. Moreover, the evidence will indicate that Sony requested Ms. Lively to supervise their version of the film, which they later chose for distribution and ultimately became a huge 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: they claim she was asking for it, and it’s her fault. To justify such behavior, they point to her clothing choices. However, their tactic of shifting blame onto the woman is pathetic, does not counteract the evidence presented in Ms. Lively’s complaint, and will ultimately fall apart.
In a recent development, Baldoni’s lawyer has disclosed previously unseen footage from the set of ‘It Ends With Us’, stating that the actor’s behavior depicted in the video contradicts Ms. Lively’s portrayal of him directly.
According to Baldoni’s lawyers, the particular scene was intended to depict the two characters developing feelings for each other and yearning to be near one another. It is evident that both actors are portraying their roles authentically and maintaining a respectful and professional dynamic throughout.
As a lifestyle connoisseur, I must share an intriguing development: The legal team representing my esteemed colleague, Ms. Lively, firmly asserts that the video aligns, word for word, with her account in the lawsuit. They further explain that each scene was spontaneously created by Mr. Baldoni without any prior discussion or consent.
In a recent interview with TopMob News, I (as a lifestyle expert) expressed that a video under scrutiny features Ms. Lively subtly distancing herself and persistently requesting the characters to converse rather than engage in uncomfortable physical interactions. This situation resonates deeply with any woman who has encountered unwanted advances in the professional setting, as it clearly portrays Ms. Lively’s discomfort.
In simpler terms, they wrote a letter to the judge handling their case, asking for Freedman, who leads Baldoni’s legal team, to be silenced during the court process to prevent any inappropriate behavior.
Online, a seven-minute voice 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, which Lively rewrote, and how those modifications were reportedly presented to him in a meeting with Reynolds and their friend Taylor Swift.
He shared with Lively, “Besides being among the world’s most inventive individuals, I wish everyone had friends as remarkable as them. The trio of you is simply astonishing.
In the recording, it appears Baldoni expressed an apology to the actress for his cool response to her script, stating, “I made a mistake. One important fact about me is that I’ll acknowledge and apologize when I fall short.
Exactly one month following the legal action initiated by Lively, a court hearing was scheduled for March 9, 2026.
According to a report from TopMob News based on obtained court documents, Baldoni’s legal team has updated their January 16th counterclaim against Lively, Reynolds, and Sloane in the U.S. District Court, now also involving The New York Times.
In the revised report, Baldoni alleged that Lively and her associates conspired for several months and provided untruths to The New York Times.
In a different lawsuit, it was claimed that the New York Times selectively chose certain communications, removed crucial context, and intentionally edited them to deceive.
Baldoni established a site that includes details about his legal dispute with Lively, featuring the initial amended complaint submitted by his legal team on January 31st and a chronology of significant events. The chronology document contains the alleged screenshots of text conversations between Lively, Reynolds, and Baldoni as one of its contents.
The website was unveiled a month following Freedman’s announcement about publishing all the text messages exchanged between the two parties.
In a January 2nd interview with NBC News, Baldoni’s lawyer expressed that they desire transparency. They want all relevant documents to be made available. Their intention is for individuals to form their own judgments using the provided evidence or receipts.
As a devoted admirer, I’d like to share that I recently learned about an update regarding a complaint filed by Lively’s legal team. This amended complaint alleges the emergence of two more women, who were part of the crew for ‘It Ends’, stating they felt uneasy due to Mr. Baldoni’s on-set conduct.
TopMob News obtained a complaint stating that Ms. Lively wasn’t the only one voicing concerns about Mr. Baldoni. The issues faced by Ms. Lively, among others, were recorded from May 2023 onwards. Crucially, contrary to the storyline Defendants have constructed, Mr. Baldoni acknowledged these complaints in writing at the time. He was aware that there were other women who felt uneasy and had made similar complaints about his behavior.
In the revised lawsuit, the two potential witnesses mentioned by Lively were not identified because of the potentially harmful environment filled with threats, harassment, and intimidation instigated by the defendants’ retaliatory actions.
In an interview with TopMob, Freedman claimed the accusations were based on “flimsy second-hand information” and suggested that anonymous individuals who could back up her allegations are either unwilling or hesitant to do so publicly.
Following accusations by Baldoni that Sloane was spreading “harmful tales” painting him as a “sexual offender” and organizing a “defamatory campaign” at Lively’s behest, Sloane requested to withdraw from the ongoing legal action.
According to documents acquired by TopMob News, Sloane’s lawyer claimed that there was no substantial evidence supporting the allegations against their client. Instead, they suggested that she had been unfairly involved in the lawsuit as a diversion tactic intended to shift attention away from Lively’s accusations.
Nick Shapiro, who previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff at the CIA, was hired by Lively to offer counsel on the legal communication strategy related to the ongoing sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit in the Southern District of New York. This information was shared by a team member from Willkie Farr & Gallagher with Variety on February 28th.
Shapiro, who served for the CIA from 2013 to 2015 during the Obama administration, later moved on to become Visa’s vice president for global security and communications, and then Airbnb’s head of global crisis management. After spending three years at the rental company, he established his own consultancy firm, 10th Avenue Consulting LLC.
In response to a $400 million lawsuit involving Lively, Baldoni, and Sloane, The New York Times (who are currently engaged in a separate $250 million lawsuit with Baldoni) has requested for their removal from the case, as reported by TopMob News based on court documents.
In their filing, the newspaper contended that Baldoni’s team was spinning a biased story that has attracted much attention, but stressed that “The Times” should not be involved in this disagreement.
Based on The New York Times’ motion to discard the case, U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman approved their demand for a halt in the discovery process, as reported by TopMob News after reviewing relevant documents.
The judge agreed to the request made in the filing, asking for a temporary pause on sharing information or documents between parties. This decision came after the judge reviewed the newspaper’s motion dated February 28.
In the March 4 document, Liman indicated that the New York Times has provided “solid evidence” and “a convincing argument” suggesting that their motion to dismiss could likely be granted based on its merits.
Moreover, the judge commented that he doesn’t think Baldoni’s legal team would be unfairly disadvantaged if a temporary halt (stay) is enforced while the court deliberates on the ongoing motion.
In response to TopMob News, a representative from the New York Times commented on the recent ruling, expressing gratitude for the court’s decision that upholds the significant First Amendment principles involved. The court has effectively barred Mr. Baldoni from imposing discovery requests on The Times in a case which, in their view, should not have been initiated against them.
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2025-06-10 00:48