Justin Baldoni is taking additional legal steps.
In the midst of the ongoing legal dispute between director and actress Blake Lively over claims made during the production and promotion of “It Ends With Us,” it has been alleged by Justin’s legal team that Ryan Reynolds, Blake’s husband, drew inspiration for the character Nicepool in his Deadpool and Wolverine roles from Baldoni.
On January 7th, a legal notice was forwarded by Baldoni’s legal representatives (obtained by People) to Bob Iger and Kevin Feige – presidents of Disney and Marvel Studios. This letter requested them to preserve any records that contain references to Baldoni, as these documents might be needed in future court proceedings.
As an ardent admirer, I’ve got some exciting news! According to what I’ve read in People, it seems that Eric Baldoni’s legal team is asking for every piece of evidence showcasing the evolution of the character, Nicepool. The twist is, they’re not just interested in any ordinary development but specifically looking for aspects from Deadpool and Wolverine’s progression that somehow mirror an intentional effort to ridicule, bully, or harass Baldoni through the character of Nicepool. Can you imagine the intrigue behind this request? It’s like a real-life mystery unfolding right before our eyes!
TopMob News has reached out to reps for Baldoni, Reynolds and Disney but has not yet heard back.
Social media users first made the link between Deadpool and Wolverine’s Nicepool and Baldoni following Lively’s initial complaint against Baldoni at the California Civil Rights Department last month, which didn’t go unnoticed.
In the films featuring Deadpool and Wolverine, which hit theaters on July 26, the character Nicepool is depicted as a pretentious feminist and sports a hairstyle reminiscent of a man bun – a style that some fans believe mirrors one of Baldoni’s signature looks.
Moreover, Lively not only urged her followers to back the movie upon its premiere but also admitted feeling somewhat competitive since it was released just two weeks prior to It Ends With Us. The 37-year-old mother of four (James, 10, Inez, 8, Betty, 5, and Olin born in 2023) expressed in a July 22 Instagram post that she was drawn to Ryan’s film due to its resonance with her “emotions after having a baby, or about decent men who manipulate feminism.
It’s interesting to consider that Baldoni could have been the inspiration for Nicepool, as the character was portrayed by Reynolds in the film but credited as “Gordon Reynolds” instead of his usual name. Similarly, Lively, who played in “It Ends With Us,” acknowledged “Gordon Reynolds” during the end credits of her movie.
Ever since the original dispute was brought up, the legal conflict between these costars has escalated significantly. Lively took the step of filing a formal lawsuit against Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and several affiliates towards the end of December. On the same day, Baldoni and his associates countered by suing the New York Times for defamation, due to the newspaper’s coverage of Lively’s original complaint as well as an alleged smear campaign orchestrated by Baldoni and others against her. In response, the New York Times announced their intention to “vigorously defend themselves against the lawsuit.
Furthermore, the legal proceedings aren’t wrapping up just yet, as Baldoni’s lawyers also intend to file a lawsuit against Lively. The statement of claim filed by Baldoni and his team against the Times reads, “The Plaintiffs have more to come.” “There are other parties involved in this matter, and it’s important to note that this won’t be the only legal action taken.
Ever since Lively first voiced her grievance, the disagreement between her and Baldoni has developed into a complex tapestry of events. Dive in to follow the entire chronology.
Four months following the theater release of the movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s book “It Ends With Us”, Blake Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) against her costar Justin Baldoni and his associates on December 20, as reported by The New York Times.
In the complaint obtained by TopMob News, 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. were named as defendants.
Lively claimed in her complaint that Baldoni and Wayfarer associates initiated a coordinated press and digital campaign in retaliation for expressing concerns about alleged misconduct on set. She stated that she, along with other cast and crew members, experienced invasive, unwelcome, unprofessional, and sexually inappropriate behavior by Baldoni and Heath.
The actress further added that this alleged campaign against her caused significant harm to her both personally and professionally.
The allegations listed in the complaint include sexual harassment; retaliation; failure to investigate, prevent, and/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 a report detailing a supposed counterattack smear operation that Baldoni and his colleagues were accused of carrying out against Lively – referencing her CRD complaint. In their article, they shared messages from Baldoni’s team, such as publicist Abel and crisis communications specialist Nathan, which were included in the complaint. The court documents pertaining to this case could also be accessed on The New York Times’ website. Speaking with the outlet, Lively expressed her hope that her legal action would expose these underhanded retaliatory tactics used to harm those who speak up about misconduct and safeguard others who may become targets.
Following the disclosure of Lively’s complaint, Bryan Freedman – attorney for Baldoni, Wayfarer, and their representatives – strongly refuted Lively’s allegations. He stated on The New York Times website:
“It’s regrettable that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such grave and entirely untrue accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their representatives. This is another desperate attempt to improve her damaged reputation, which was earned through her own statements and actions during the film campaign; public interviews and press activities where the internet could form its own opinions in real-time, uncensored. These claims are entirely false, outrageous, and deliberately scandalous with the aim of causing harm and perpetuating a media narrative.”
Freedman also justified Wayfarer’s decision to hire a crisis manager before the film’s marketing campaign. He further explained that they only responded to incoming media inquiries to ensure balanced and accurate reporting, and monitored social activity. However, he pointed out that the selective correspondence does not show any proactive measures taken with the media; instead, it reveals internal planning and private communication among public relations professionals, which is a standard practice.
After the article in The New York Times, published on December 21st, WME decided to part ways with Baldoni. Ari Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor, the agency’s parent company, confirmed this to the outlet. However, it was later denied that Ryan Reynolds, Lively’s husband and also represented by WME, played a role in the separation between Baldoni and the agency as Baldoni alleged in his lawsuit against The New York Times.
In Baldoni’s filing, there is a claim that Reynolds pressured Baldoni’s agent at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere. However, this is not accurate according to WME’s statement to The Hollywood Reporter on January 1st. The former representative of Baldoni was not present at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere and there was no pressure from Reynolds or Lively at any time for Baldoni to be dropped as a client by WME.
After Lively’s CRD filing and an article in The New York Times, several well-known personalities expressed their responses to the allegations against Baldoni. For instance, Hoover, the author of It Ends With Us, showed support on Instagram. On December 21st, she posted, “Blake Lively, you have always been truthful, kind, supportive and patient since we first met. Thank you for being exactly who you are. Never change. Never wilt.”
Jenny Slate, who portrayed Baldoni’s character Ryle’s sister, also expressed solidarity with Lively. On December 23rd, she released a statement to Today, saying, “As Blake Lively’s castmate and friend, I express my support as she confronts those accused of damaging her reputation.” Slate continued by stating that Lively is a leader, trustworthy friend, and emotional pillar for many people. She further added that the revelations about the alleged attack on Lively were “terribly dark, disturbing, and threatening.” She concluded by praising her friend’s courage and expressing solidarity with her.
Brandon Sklenar, a love interest for Lively’s character Lily Bloom, shared a screenshot of the complaint published on The New York Times website and linked to the outlet, writing, “For the love of God, read this.”
Lastly, Lively’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants costars, including America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, and Amber Tamblyn, announced their support for her as well.
Liz Plank recently shared on Instagram that she is no longer co-hosting “The Man Enough Podcast”. She expressed her gratitude for the trust placed in her, the heartfelt stories shared, and the community created over four years. Although she didn’t specify a reason, her decision came shortly after a complaint against her co-host and Wayfarer associates by Lively. Plank emphasized her continued commitment to the values they built together and expressed her intention to share more about her experiences soon. She also pledged to continue supporting those who speak out against injustice and hold accountable those who obstruct them.
Stephanie Jones, Baldoni’s ex-publicist, and her agency Jonesworks LLC filed a lawsuit against him, Wayfarer, his current publicist Abel, and crisis communications specialist Nathan in New York on Christmas Eve. The lawsuit claims that Abel and Nathan secretly conspired for months to publicly and privately attack Jones and Jonesworks, breach contracts, induce contractual breaches, and steal clients and business opportunities. Behind Jones’s back, they allegedly coordinated with Baldoni and Wayfarer to launch a smear campaign against one of Baldoni’s film co-stars, using the ensuing crisis as an opportunity to drive a wedge between Jones and Baldoni, and falsely blame Jones for the smear campaign when she had no involvement. Abel had worked at Jonesworks until last summer, according to her LinkedIn profile, and the lawsuit alleges that she is now falsely accusing Jones of wrongdoing as her own misconduct comes to light. The defendants, who are no longer Jonesworks clients, are accused of violating their contractual obligations with Jonesworks and refusing to settle the dispute privately in arbitration. When contacted for comment, the defendants did not respond.
In a statement given to Variety on December 23rd, Lively’s legal team revealed 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 Wayfarer associates, further stated to the outlet that none of his clients were served a subpoena concerning this matter, and he plans to sue Jones for disclosing messages from Abel’s phone to Lively’s legal team.
On December 31st, Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, Nathan, TAG, Abel, RWA Communications, Wallace, and Street Relations filed a lawsuit against The New York Times. According to a suit obtained by TopMob News, The New York Times is being charged with libel, false light invasion of privacy, promissory fraud, and breach of implied-in-fact contract regarding an article that claimed they conducted a retaliatory smear campaign against Lively after she spoke out about alleged misconduct on set.
The plaintiffs argue the report was untrue and based solely on Lively’s complaint to CRD. They deny the accusations and claim that messages cited in the article and complaint were taken out of context. The lawsuit states, “Despite its claim to have ‘reviewed these along with other documents,’ the Times relied almost entirely on Lively’s unverified and self-serving narrative… lifting it nearly verbatim while disregarding an abundance of 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. Lively has denied this claim. The New York Times plans to “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.” According to TopMob, the Times stated, “The role of an independent news organization is to follow the facts where they lead. Our story was meticulously and responsibly reported. It was based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails that we quote accurately and at length in the article.
On that 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 court documents obtained by TopMob News show that she is accusing the defendants of sexual harassment, retaliation, failing to address harassment, aiding and abetting these actions, breach of contract, intentionally causing emotional distress, negligently causing emotional distress, false light invasion of privacy, among other charges. The details of these accusations were initially outlined in the CRD complaint Lively filed earlier that month. In response to the lawsuit, Baldoni and his associates have filed a suit against The New York Times—which does not include Lively as a defendant. Her lawyers responded to TopMob stating, “The premise of this lawsuit, that Lively’s administrative complaint against Wayfarer and others was a ruse and that litigation was never her ultimate goal, is false.” They went on to say, “However, the federal complaint filed by Ms. Lively today proves this frame of reference for the Wayfarer lawsuit incorrect.
In their legal battle against The New York Times, Baldoni and his team have made it clear that they are not finished taking action. According to the court documents, there are more wrongdoers involved in this case, and they intend to file additional lawsuits as a result. During an interview with NBC News on January 2nd, Baldoni’s attorney Freedman confirmed that they definitely plan to sue Lively.
The discussions surrounding Baldoni and Lively haven’t ended yet. For example, some 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. During an interview on “The Megyn Kelly Show,” posted to YouTube on Jan 7, he stated, “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. You take it seriously. You follow proper procedures, such as filing HR complaints and pursuing legal action. Mocking the person is not appropriate.
In their statement, Lively’s attorneys stated that the legal action she took against Wayfarer and its associates in the Southern District of New York is about substantial allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation, supported by factual evidence. This isn’t a dispute stemming from creative differences or a he-said-she-said situation, as some might suggest. Instead, as detailed in Lively’s complaint, and what they will prove in court, Wayfarer and its associates have engaged in unlawful, retaliatory activities against Lively for standing up for herself and others on a film set. Since the lawsuit was filed, they have continued to launch further attacks against Lively.
While the legal process unfolds, her lawyers urge everyone to keep in mind that sexual harassment and retaliation are unacceptable in all workplaces and industries. A common tactic to deflect accusations of such misconduct is to blame the victim by implying they invited it, brought it upon themselves, or misunderstood the intentions. Another common tactic is to switch the roles of offender and victim. These tactics serve to minimize and trivialize serious allegations. They emphasized that media statements are not a defense against her claims and that they will vigorously pursue her case in court.
In response, Baldoni’s lawyer Freedman told TopMob, “It is painfully ironic that Blake Lively is accusing Justin Baldoni of weaponizing the media when her own team orchestrated this vicious attack by sending the New York Times grossly edited documents prior to even filing the complaint.”
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2025-01-15 20:48