Examining the warring lawsuits between the two actors. A complete timeline of It Ends With Us costars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's legal battle

Examining the warring lawsuits between the two actors.

A complete timeline of It Ends With Us costars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's legal battle

Examining the warring lawsuits between the two actors.

By Shania Russell

on August 5, 2025 01:15PM EDT

Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively. Credit:

Dia Dipasupil/Getty; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

In the months since* It Ends With Us* debuted in theaters — finally delivering the much-anticipated adaptation of Colleen Hoover's best-selling novel — rumors of a bitter feud have surrounded the project.

What began as whispers of behind-the-scenes drama eventually erupted into a full-blown legal battle between the film's director-producer-star, Justin Baldoni, and leading lady, Blake Lively. The costars have taken legal action against each other, with Lively accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment and launching a smear campaign, leading Baldoni to launch a countersuit, alleging defamation and extortion.

Whether you're looking for details, trying to keep track of all the lawsuits, or wondering where *Deadpool* fits into the feud, look no further. Below is a complete timeline of the ongoing legal battle between Lively and Baldoni.

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni in 'It Ends with Us'.

Jan. 26, 2023: Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively are cast in* *'It Ends With Us'

Hoover, the author of such best-selling titles as *Verity* and *Ugly Love*, delighted fans with a concrete update on the much-anticipated adaptation of *It Ends With U*s. On Jan. 26, she took to TikTok to reveal that Lively had been cast as Lily Bloom and Baldoni had been cast as Ryle Kincaid.

"Blake Lively, y'all. She's my dream Lily," Hoover said. "And when I first met Justin Baldoni, who is directing the film for *It Ends With Us*, I immediately wanted him to be Ryle. I just thought that he had what it takes to play that character, and the good news is he's gonna be Ryle."

The story centers on Lily, a woman who overcomes a traumatic childhood with an abusive father to begin a new life in Boston. But after opening her dream flower shop, life veers off track when she falls in love with charming neurosurgeon Ryle (Baldoni) and begins to realize that his abusive behavior continues the harmful cycle she's spent her life trying to escape. Their toxic love is further complicated when Lily's childhood love, Atlas (Brandon Sklenar) reenters her life.

In addition to co-starring, Baldoni was tapped to direct and produce the film with his company, Wayfarer Studio. Lively also signed on to produce.

May 2023: Filming begins

​​Filming began and was swiftly halted in May 2023, due to the Hollywood Writers and Actors Guild strikes. It would remain paused for the duration, and production eventually resumed in January 2024.

August 2024: Justin Baldoni hires a crisis management team

As chatter of a feud between Baldoni and his castmates ramped up around the time of the film's Aug. 9 premiere, *The Hollywood Reporter* published a story on Aug. 13 reporting that the *Jane the Virgin* alum had retained the services of PR crisis manager Melissa Nathan, who previously represented Johnny Depp during his legal battle with ex Amber Heard.

Texts revealed later in Lively's lawsuit show Nathan strategizing with Jennifer Abel, Baldoni's rep at communications and marketing agency Jonesworks, beginning as early as Aug. 2.

"You know when we send over documents we can't send over the work we will or could do because that could get us in a lot of trouble. We can't write it down to him We can't write we will destroy her. We will go to this. We will do this," Nathan wrote to Abel on Aug. 2, according to exhibits included in Lively's suit filed Dec. 31, 2024. "He has to look at it as an information document for us to be armed with That's all. Imagine if a document saying all the things that he wants ends up in the wrong hands. you know we can bury anyone But I can't write that to him."

By Aug. 4, Nathan was boasting about the placement of coverage she could secure via an editor at Daily Mail, according to the lawsuit. On Aug. 16, Nathan shared a link to a *Daily Mail* article posted that day with the headline "Is Blake Lively set to be CANCELLED? String of 'hard to watch' videos that have surfaced following 'tone deaf' Q&A to promote It Ends With Us could tarnish 36-year-old star's golden Hollywood image for good."

Aug. 6, 2024: Feud rumors circulate amid press tour

Rumors of an alleged feud between Baldoni and his leading lady emerged even before *It Ends With Us* arrived in theaters worldwide. During the film's New York premiere on August 6, eagle-eyed fans took note of Lively posing with husband Ryan Reynolds and various costars including Sklenar, while Baldoni was only pictured with his wife, Emily. It was later revealed that they weren't even in the same movie theater.

Fans also took note of the fact that Hoover, Lively, and several other cast members did not follow Baldoni on Instagram. Subsequent weeks would see Baldoni and Lively continue to do press separately, appearing on separate talk shows and at different events. Despite the perceived tension, Baldoni spoke highly of Lively's work on the film.

"Blake was involved in every aspect of the film once she came onto the project, from scenes and dialogue until the end, until now," Baldoni told ** in August. "She's been involved in all of it, and she's been a powerhouse of a creative and a wonderful collaborator."

When asked about possibly reteaming for an adaptation of the book's sequel, *It Starts With Us*, Baldoni told *Entertainment Tonight*, "I think Blake Lively is ready to direct. That's what I think."

While Lively did not immediately return the favor, she did sing the praises of another man in her life: her husband.

"The iconic rooftop scene, my husband actually wrote it. Nobody knows that but you now," Lively said at the premiere. "He works on everything I do. I work on everything he does. So his wins, his celebrations are mine, and mine are his."

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds at the 'It Ends With Us' premiere Aug. 6, 2024, in New York.

Cindy Ord/Getty

Aug. 9, 2024: 'It Ends With Us' arrives in theaters

*It Ends With Us* debuted to mixed reviews from critics, but there was no questioning the film's financial success. The bonafide box office hit arrived to $80 million worldwide and continued to draw in its audience, eventually earning $350 million at the global box office. The film notably arrived on the heels of *Deadpool & Wolverine*, starring Lively's husband and friend, Hugh Jackman in the titular roles. Lively and her children even make cameo appearances in the film.

Aug. 10, 2024: Blake Lively is criticized for her promotional efforts

By this point in the press tour, fans were already criticizing Lively's approach to promoting the film, taking issue with her frequent mentions of her hair care line, Blake Brown, and soda company, Betty Buzz. One promo clip shared on TikTok included Lively telling viewers, "*It Ends With Us* is in theaters now, so grab your friends, wear your florals, and head out to see it." In response, several commenters and social media users across platforms slammed her lighthearted remarks, questioning her levity in light of the film's heavy themes.

This peaked on Aug. 10 when Norwegian journalist Kjersti Flaa uploaded an interview with Lively from 2016 titled "The Blake Lively interview that made me want to quit my job." The inciting clip sees Flaa telling Lively, who was pregnant at the time, "Congrats on your little bump." Lively replies, "Congrats on your little bump." (Flaa was not pregnant.)

When Flaa asked Lively about her character's wardrobe, Lively took issue with the question: "Everyone wants to talk about the clothes, but I wonder if they would ask the men about the clothes?" Flaa replied that she would.**

Colleen Hoover, Brandon Sklenar, and Blake Lively in June 2024.

Eric Charbonneau/Getty

Aug. 20, 2024: Brandon Sklenar speaks out

Sklenar, who plays Atlas, broke his silence on the rumors surrounding the film with an August Instagram post.

"I wanted to take a minute and address all this stuff swirling online," the actor wrote. "Colleen and the women of this cast stand for hope, perseverance, and for women choosing a better life for themselves. Vilifying the women who put so much of their heart and soul into making this film because they believe so strongly in its message seems counterproductive and detracts from what this film is about. It is, in fact, the opposite of the point."

He added that whatever "may or may not have happened behind the scenes" during the shooting of the movie, "should not detract from what our intentions were in making this film."

Dec. 20, 2024: Blake Lively files a complaint

*It Ends With Us* eventually concluded its press tour and theatrical run, arriving on Netflix on December 9. Less than two weeks later, Lively lodged a complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department, accusing him of sexual harassment on the film's set and coordinating an online smear campaign to damage her reputation.

The document, which also named Baldoni's Wayfarer Studios and producer Jamey Heath, claims, "Mr. Baldoni, Mr. Heath, and Wayfarer engaged in harassing conduct and failed their obligations to investigate complaints of workplace harassment, to prevent inappropriate and harassing behaviors on set, and to provide avenues for cast and crew members to safely raise concerns to neutral parties so that they could be investigated and appropriately addressed."

Lively's complaint alleges that Baldoni engaged in "invasive, unprofessional and sexually inappropriate behavior" on set, including unwanted and unplanned kissing, walking into her dressing room while she was undressed, making comments about his sex life and porn addiction, and degrading her with remarks about her age and weight. The document also claims that Baldoni employed a crisis public relations firm shortly before the film's premiere to establish a "sophisticated, coordinated, and well-financed retaliation plan" in the event that allegations about the director's on-set behavior became public.

An attorney for Baldoni denied the allegations in a statement provided to EW, saying, "These claims are completely false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious, with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media."

He added, "It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and its representatives as yet another desperate attempt to 'fix' her negative reputation, which was garnered from her own remarks and actions during the campaign for the film — interviews and press activities that were observed publicly, in real time and unedited, which allowed for the internet to generate their own views and opinions.

Dec. 21, 2024: Baldoni is dropped by his agency after 'New York Times' investigation

On Dec. 21, *The New York Times* published an in-depth investigation into Baldoni's PR machine, titled, "'We Can Bury Anyone': Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine." The story reported that the public relations professionals deliberately set out to destroy Lively's reputation after she "complained that the men had repeatedly violated physical boundaries and made sexual and other inappropriate comments to her."

That same day, reports emerged that Baldoni had been dropped by his agency, WME.**

Dec. 22, 2024: Hollywood stars come out in support of Lively

In the wake of Lively's complaint and the *Times* investigation, several stars rose to her defense, speaking out with messages of support for the actress.

Her *Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants *costars America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel shared a joint-statement to Instagram, writing, "As Blake's friends and sisters for over twenty years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation."

Hoover also voiced support for the star, writing, "You have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met. Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt."

Amber Heard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Amy Schumer, and Paul Feig are among the other voices who publicly chimed in, as well as Lively's sister and actor Robyn.**

Justin Baldoni and Liz Plank.

John Nacion/Variety via Getty; Roy Rochlin/Getty

Dec. 23, 2024: Baldoni's podcast cohost leaves show amid lawsuit

Liz Plank, one of the cohosts on Baldoni's *Man Enough* podcast, soon announced her exit from the show. Though she did not directly address Lively's allegations against Baldoni, she appeared to allude to them, writing, "We all deserve better, and I know that together, we can create it. I will have more to share soon as I continue to process everything that has happened. In the meantime, I will continue to support everyone who calls out injustice and holds the people standing in their way accountable."

Dec. 24, 2024: Baldoni's former publicist sues him over breach of contract

On Christmas Eve, Baldoni's former publicist, Stephanie Jones, filed a lawsuit against the *It Ends With Us* director alleging that her former employee Jennifer Abel conspired with Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer, and crisis PR fixer Melissa Nathan to execute a smear campaign against Lively without Jones' knowledge.

"Defendants Abel and Nathan secretly conspired for months to publicly and privately attack Jones and Jonesworks, to breach multiple contracts and induce contractual breaches, and to steal clients and business prospects," Jones' complaint read. "Behind Jones' back, they secretly coordinated with Baldoni and Wayfarer to implement an aggressive media smear campaign against Baldoni's film costar, and then used the crisis as an opportunity to drive a wedge between Jones and Baldoni, and to publicly pin blame for this smear campaign on Jones — when Jones had no knowledge or involvement in it."

Jones claimed that she fired Abel in August, discovered texts and emails related to her work with Baldoni, and turned them over to Lively's team after being served a subpoena, which is why the messages appear in Lively's 80-page complaint.

Dec. 31, 2024: Lively formally sues Baldoni, his studio, and his PR team

After going public with her complaint earlier in the month, Lively made things official by filing a lawsuit in New York federal court Dec. 31, naming Baldoni, Wayfarer, and PR representatives Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel for subjecting her to "further retaliation and attacks" after she participated in *The New York Times* story.

"Ms. Lively has brought this litigation in New York, where much of the relevant activities described in the Complaint took place, but we reserve the right to pursue further action in other venues and jurisdictions as appropriate under the law," said one of Lively's attorneys.

That same day, Baldoni announced he was suing *The New York Times* for $250 million over its bombshell story about the alleged smear campaign. The 87-page lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, accuses the *Times* of defamation, stating that the newspaper's "reliance on 'cherry-picked' and altered communications stripped of necessary context and deliberately spliced to mislead."

The lawsuit adds that the news outlet "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."

Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively in 'It Ends with Us'.

Jan. 16, 2025: Baldoni files a countersuit against Lively and Reynolds

Baldoni next named Lively and Reynolds in a lawsuit, accusing the Hollywood power couple of hijacking the film and orchestrating a smear campaign against him. The lawsuit — which was also filed on behalf of his film studio, Wayfarer, and its chief executive, Jamey Heath, a producer on the film — requests at least $400 million in damages, alleging defamation, civil extortion, and breach of contract, among other accusations.

"This lawsuit is a legal action based on an overwhelming amount of untampered evidence detailing Blake Lively and her team's duplicitous attempt to destroy Justin Baldoni, his team, and their respective companies by disseminating grossly edited, unsubstantiated, new, and doctored information to the media," said Baldoni's attorney Bryan Freedman in a statement.

Lively's legal team issued a rebuttal within hours, writing, "This is an age-old story: A woman speaks up with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation and the abuser attempts to turn the tables on the victim. This is what experts call DARVO. Deny. Attack. Reverse Victim Offender."**

Jan. 21, 2025: Baldoni shares a video in an attempt to disprove Lively's allegations

On Tuesday, Baldoni's legal team released footage from the set of the movie, claiming that that it would refute Lively's claims of sexual harassment against him. The video sees the actors slow dancing romantically for a slow-motion montage. During the scene, they seem to speak to each other as themselves, with Lively suggesting several times they be talking as opposed to kissing. At one point, Baldoni leans in to Lively and asks her, "Am I getting beard on you today?" Lively laughs and says, "I'm probably getting spray tan on you," to which Baldoni replies that "it smells good."

The moment was cited among Lively's accusations in her lawsuit, where she claimed that Baldoni "leaned forward and slowly dragged his lips from her ear and down her neck as he said, 'it smells so good'... When Ms. Lively later objected to this behavior, Mr. Baldoni's response was, 'I'm not even attracted to you.'"

A statement that precedes the footage claims, "The following videos captured on May 23, 2023 clearly refute Ms. Lively's characterization of his behavior. The scene in question was designed to show the two characters falling in love and longing to be close to one another. Both actors are clearly behaving well within the scope of the scene and with mutual respect and professionalism."

Lively's legal team argued otherwise In a lengthy statement provided to EW, saying in part that "every frame of the released footage corroborates, to the letter, what Ms. Lively described in Paragraph 48 of her Complaint."

The statement calls out Baldoni "repeatedly leaning in toward Ms. Lively, attempting to kiss her, kissing her forehead, rubbing his face and mouth against her neck, flicking her lip with his thumb, caressing her, telling her how good she smells, and talking with her out of character," all of which they say was improvised by him "with no discussion or consent in advance, and no intimacy coordinator present."**

Lively's legal team also files a letter to the court, requesting that it enforce their two previous cease-and-desist letters to Baldoni's legal team and find Freedman in violation of Rule 3.6 of the New York Rules of Professional Conduct, "which prevents '[a] lawyer who is participating in . . . a civil matter' from 'mak[ing] an extrajudicial statement that the lawyer knows or reasonably should know will be disseminated by means of public communication and will have a substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing an adjudicative proceeding in the matter.'"

The letter from Lively's legal team concludes, "Given the imminent harm caused by Mr. Freedman's misleading and selective statements and leaks, we respectfully request that this Court schedule a hearing as soon as possible to address the appropriate conduct of counsel moving forward in these two related matters."

Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman followed up on the action with a statement shared with EW on January 26: "The irony is not lost on anyone that Ms. Lively is so petrified of the truth that she has moved to gag it. The immense power that she wielded in Hollywood built on pure fear of her husband and their powerful friends came to an end the moment Ms. Lively planned a mass distribution of a disturbingly false and well calculated hit piece in The New York Times. Ms. Lively did this with the sole intent to ruin the lives of innocent individuals, and then went the extra mile to place blame on a fictitious smear campaign, all because she quite simply could not accept that the public had organically seen through her facade. When you accuse innocent individuals of something so disturbing as sexual harassment without thinking of the destruction it would cause to not only them, but the entire domestic violence community, this is where accountability for such mean spirited actions must be taken. We will always respect the court; however, we will never be bullied by those suggesting we cannot defend our clients with pure, unedited facts. All we want is for people to see the actual text messages that directly contradict her allegations, video footage that clearly shows there was no sexual harassment and all the other powerful evidence that directly contradicts any false allegations of sexual harassment and subsequent smear campaign. It seems that in a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act."**

Justin Baldoni.

Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty

Jan. 27, 2025: Audio of Baldoni allegedly apologizing is leaked and a trial date is set

On Monday, Jan. 27, the *Daily Mail* obtained undated alleged communication between Lively and Baldoni, including a 7-minute voice note from Baldoni that began with an apology. The messages found in Baldoni's complaint reference Lively's changes to the movie's infamous rooftop scene and allegedly include Lively claiming that Reynolds and her megastar friend, Taylor Swift, applauded her pages.

Per the complaint, Lively allegedly added, "They also know I'm not always good at making sure I'm seen and utilized for fear of threatening egos, or fear of affecting the ease of the process. They don't give a s--- about that. And because of that, everyone listens to them with immense respect and enthusiasm. So I guess I have to stop worrying about people liking me."

In newly leaked audio, Baldoni allegedly responded with an audio message, where he can be heard apologizing.

"I'm really sorry. I for sure fell short and you worked really hard on that," Baldoni says in the audio. "And the way you framed it and how that made you feel, I just want to say thank you for sharing that with me. That takes a lot of trust and vulnerability. I feel really grateful that you feel safe enough to tell me that's how you feel and share that with me. I'm really sorry, I f---ed up."

The *Jane the Virgin *alum went on to call himself "a very flawed man, as my wife will attest," adding, "I'm gonna f--- it up, I'm gonna say the wrong thing, I'm gonna put my foot in my mouth, I'm gonna piss you off probably — but I will always apologize and find my way back to center."

After vowing to "do better," Baldoni saluted Lively and those in her corner. "Damn right you've got great friends… We should all have friends like that; aside from the fact that they're the two most creative people on the planet. The three of you guys together is unbelievable. Talk about energy; just a force, all three of you."

He again praised Lively's rework of the scene as "really good" and said it would "make the movie sing."

He concluded, "I'm excited to go through the whole movie with you. I'm just excited to spend time with you."

Representatives for Lively did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.

Later that same day, a New York federal judge told both sides to prepare for a March 9, 2026, trial, per the Associated Press. An initial conference between the two is set to take place within a week.

Feb. 1, 2025: Baldoni launches a website

On Saturday, Baldoni offered the public a closer look at his feud with Lively by launching the website, "Lawsuit Info," containing the full text of the newly amended complaint he filed in court the day before. The website and complaint both feature a "timeline of relevant events," in which Baldoni provides his own summary of the conflict between the two actors, by laying out Baldoni's involvement with the film and interactions with Lively, beginning in Jan. 2019. The document includes several alleged screenshots of text messages and emails exchanged between Baldoni, Lively and occasionally, Reynolds, claiming that the actors had a "cordial" relationship at one point.

The timeline, submitted to the court as an exhibit to the amended complaint, later details a contentious relationship, citing a conversation between Reynolds and Baldoni's personal WME agent, in which Reynolds allegedly called Baldoni a "deranged predator" and encouraged him not to attend the *It Ends With Us* premiere, allegedly stating, "no one wants him there."

The 224-page amended complaint contains allegations about Reynolds' portrayal of the character Nicepool in his 2024 film *Deadpool & Wolverine.* Baldoni accuses Reynolds of using the character to mock and bully him.

"Reynolds portrayed Nicepool as a vicious caricature of a 'woke' feminist before concluding the character's arc with his violent shooting death at the hands of 'Ladypool,' a character voiced by Blake Lively," the document alleges. The suit goes on to claim that Nicepool was "intended to be a transparent and mocking portrayal of Reynolds' warped perception of Baldoni."

EW has reached out to representatives for Reynolds for comment.

Among the new allegations, Baldoni's team names the New York Times as a defendant and alleges that metadata on the *New York Times*' website shows that the paper had access to Lively's civil rights complaint at least 11 days before its bombshell Dec. 21 report was published. A *Times* spokesperson denied this claim in a statement to Us Weekly, writing that the filing is "rife with inaccuracies."

The statement continued, "Mr. Baldoni's lawyers base their erroneous claim on postings by amateur internet sleuths, who, not surprisingly, are wrong. The sleuths have noted that a version of the Lively state complaint published by* The Times *carries the date 'December 10' even though the complaint wasn't filed until more than a week later. The problem: That date is generated by Google software and is unrelated to the date when *The Times* received it and posted it."

Representatives for Baldoni did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.**

Feb. 3, 2025: A federal judge threatens to move the trial forward

A pretrial hearing in the case gave a federal judge the opportunity to warn both legal teams about their conduct. Judge Lewis J. Liman reminded Baldoni and Lively's respective attorneys that he has the power to move up the trial date, currently set for March 9, 2026, if the case continues to be litigated in the press, according to ABC News.

The Associated Press also reported that Liman ordered both sides to obey the state of New York's court rules and avoid making public comments that could have a "substantial likelihood" of tainting a jury. "You've got a lot in front of the court that gives, I think, the public plenty to feast upon," Liman said.

Neither Baldoni nor Lively was present at the hearing, but their lawyers continued to trade barbs. Lively's lawyer Michael Gottlieb accused Baldoni's team of making "inflammatory comments" that were publicly devastating to the actress. Bryan Freedman, Baldoni's lawyer, acknowledged the childishness of his "they started it" rebuttal while still reiterating that was the case.

After the hearing, both sides said they were happy with the results. "The Court granted our request that all attorneys in the matter actually follow the rule of law and not make any statements that could prejudice a jury," Lively's team said in a statement obtained by CNN. "This case deals with serious allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation. We will hold the defendants accountable, and we are confident that once all the evidence is submitted in this matter, Ms. Lively will prevail."

Meanwhile Freedman said outside the courtroom, "Our clients are devastated and want to move the case along as quickly as possible," according to the *New York Post*. "We just couldn't be more pleased with how the case was handled today, how it was managed. We're going to move as quickly as we possibly can and prove our innocence, in a world where sometimes people judge you before they give you a chance. And we're going to change that."**

Feb. 4, 2025: A Texas publicist sues Lively, alleging defamation

PR consultant Jed Wallace and his firm, Street Relations, filed a separate lawsuit against Lively in Texas on Feb. 4, accusing her of defamation. Wallace, who was named in Lively's complaint filed with the California Civil Rights Department against Baldoni and his team, is seeking at least $7 million in damages, claiming that his mention in Lively's CRD complaint and the document's publication in media outlets have caused "great harm" to his reputation.

Reached for comment, Lively's legal team said in a statement to EW, "Another day, another state, another nine-figure lawsuit seeking to sue Ms. Lively 'into oblivion' for speaking out against sexual harassment and retaliation. This is not just a publicity stunt — it is transparent retaliation in response to allegations contained within a sexual harassment and retaliation complaint that Ms. Lively filed with the California Civil Rights Department. While this lawsuit will be dismissed, we are pleased that Mr. Wallace has finally emerged from the shadows, and that he too will be held accountable in federal court."

The actress' CRD complaint alleged that Wallace planted anti-Lively sentiment on websites like Reddit, which the Wayfarer team then would "feed" to "unwitting reporters, making content go viral in order to influence public opinion and thereby cause an organic pile-on."

Wallace and Street Relations were named as defendants in Lively's CRD complaint, which was a precursor to the lawsuit she filed in federal court Dec. 31. Wallace and Street were not listed as defendants in Lively's federal complaint, though Wallace's name does appear several times in the text of the document.

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively on 'SNL 50'.

Feb. 16, 2025: Reynolds jokes about lawsuit in 'SNL' 50th anniversary special

While attending the *Saturday Night Live *50th Anniversary Special, Reynolds took part in a Q&A sketch hosted by alums Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, which saw stars asking random questions about the iconic sketch show. When Reynolds raised his hand to pose his query, Fey asked, "How's it going?"

The smiling Reynolds quickly turned serious and suspicious, replying, "Great. Why? What have you heard?" Lively, sitting beside him, appeared concerned as she turned in his direction.

After lamp-shading the couple's ongoing legal battle, both Fey and Poehler started shaking their heads and hands, furiously trying to move on from the sensitive subject. "Nothing, nope," said Poehler.

"Yeah, okay," Reynolds replied, still looking suspicious.

The following day, the couple's participation in the bit was criticized by Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman, during an episode of the *Hot Mics with Billy Bush* podcast.

"I'm unaware of anybody, frankly, whose wife has been sexually harassed and has made jokes about that type of situation," said Freedman. "I can't think of anyone who's done anything like that. It surprised me."**

Feb. 17, 2025: Sklenar addresses whether he is 'team Lively or team Baldoni'

Baldoni and Lively's costar, Brandon Sklenar, addressed the legal battle once again during a Monday morning interview with Gayle King. The *CBS Mornings *broadcaster asked the performer how he felt about the ongoing feud, to which he replied, "I just want people to remember why we made the movie in the first place and what it stands for, just keeping the focus on that."

Sklenar continued, "That movie meant so much to me. I have someone very close to me in my life who's gone through what Lily is going through, for a long time. I've been on the front lines helping her navigate that space, so that movie meant a lot to me, and it means a lot to her, this person in my life. It was one of the reasons that me doing that film gave her this strength to change her life."

He went on to call the turn of events "unfortunate," especially as it has "convoluted" the film's core message.

King then pressed on, asking him, "Are you team Blake or team Justin?"

Sklenar laughed as he replied, "I'm Team *It Ends With Us*."**

Feb. 18, 2025: Lively claims Baldoni made two other women 'uncomfortable' on set in amended complaint

In an amended complaint reviewed by EW, attorneys for Lively added nearly 50 additional pages to their lawsuit against Baldoni, detailing further allegations against the filmmaker. Among them is the claim that other women were made "uncomfortable" by Baldoni's behavior and, per a spokesperson for the actress, confided in Lively about their "discomfort and fear of coming forward."

"Ms. Lively brought this lawsuit because she was one of the* '*women or two' that Mr. Baldoni 'one million percent' made 'uncomfortable' on the set of the film," the amended lawsuit states. "Ms. Lively was not the only one who was uncomfortable on set, and Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer knew it. After Mr. Baldoni learned that he had caused Ms. Lively and others to feel 'uncomfortable' he turned his TED Talk and 'feminist' advocacy on its head."

Lively also added a new claim of defamation to her lawsuit, alleging that Freedman has made defamatory comments about her in the media, retaliating against her for "speaking up and bringing legal claims against Mr. Baldoni." The suit claims that Freedman "regularly issues inflammatory content to media outlets, appearing on any show that will have him," and "saying anything, whether true or false, that will harm Ms. Lively's credibility and intimidate others from speaking up on her behalf."

Freedman did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.

In a statement shared with EW, Lively's attorneys, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, claimed, "The complaint includes significant contemporaneous evidence that Ms. Lively was not alone in raising allegations of on-set misconduct more than a year before the film was edited; as well as evidence detailing the threats, harassment, and intimidation of not just Ms. Lively, but numerous innocent bystanders that have followed defendants' retaliatory campaign."

Feb. 20, 2025: Lively and Reynolds request a more robust protective order, citing public harassment against them and their supporters

In the wake of the amended complaint, attorneys for Lively and Reynolds submitted a letter to a judge in the Southern District of New York on Feb. 20 to request a more robust protective order for the couple, alleging public harassment not just against Lively and Reynolds but those who support them.

"Good cause exists" for a stronger protective order, as Lively, "her family, other members of the cast, various fact witnesses, and individuals that have spoken out publicly in support of Ms. Lively have received violent, profane, sexist, and threatening communications," the letter obtained by EW read.

The new protective order, an amendment of a previously-agreed-upon protective order by the opposing parties, includes the addition of the "Attorney's Eyes Only (AEO)" category. It calls for discretion involving discovery material "of such a highly confidential and personal, sensitive, or proprietary nature that the revelation of such is likely to cause a competitive, business, commercial, financial, personal or privacy injury." Attorneys for the couple had no comment on the latest development.

Justin Baldoni; Ryan Reynolds in 'Deadpool & Wolverine'.

Araya Doheny/Variety via Getty; Disney/Marvel

March 18, 2025: Ryan Reynolds files motion to dismiss

Reynolds and his legal team pushed back against Baldoni's defamation suit, filing a motion to dismiss the complaint on the grounds that Reynolds allegedly calling Baldoni a "predator" is not an example of defamation.

"The entirety of Mr. Baldoni's case appears to be based on Mr. Reynolds allegedly privately calling Mr. Baldoni a 'predator,' but here is the problem: that is not defamation unless they can show that Mr. Reynolds did not believe that statement to be true," said a statement from Reynolds' attorneys, Mike Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, to **. "The complaint doesn't allege that, and just the opposite, the allegations in the complaint suggest that Mr. Reynolds genuinely believes Mr. Baldoni is a predator."

The motion also addresses the claim that the Nicepool character featured in Reynolds' *Deadpool & Wolverine *film was used to mock Baldoni's public persona. Reynolds' lawyers argue that Baldoni's "thin-skinned outrage over a movie character does not even pretend to be tied to any legal claims" and instead is just Baldoni alleging that he has "hurt feelings."

As for Baldoni's legal battle with Reynolds's wife, Lively, the filing states that Reynolds has "nothing" to do with the situation beyond being a "supportive spouse."

Baldoni's attorney Bryan Freedman slammed Reynolds' motion to dismiss in a statement to TMZ, stating, "After lighting a match, Mr. Reynolds now seeks to run from the flames. It won't work."

He continued, "Mr. Reynolds was a key player in the scheme, defaming Justin around Hollywood, strong-arming WME into dropping Justin as a client, and trying to destroy Justin's career however possible. His fingerprints have been all over this smear campaign against Justin and the Wayfarer team since day one. Mr. Reynolds now attempts to reduce plainly cognizable claims to 'hurt feelings', sending a clear message that bullying is acceptable."

Freedman did not respond to EW's request for comment.

March 20, 2025: Lively files a separate motion to dismiss

Two days after her husband, Lively filed her own motion to dismiss Baldoni's $400 million defamation suit, accusing her* It Ends With Us* costar of using the suit to retaliate against her for lodging a sexual harassment claim.

"This lawsuit is a profound abuse of the legal process that has no place in federal court," attorneys for Lively, Mike Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, said in a statement provided to EW. "California law now expressly prohibits suing victims who make the decision to speak out against sexual harassment or retaliation, whether in a lawsuit or in the press."

They went on to invoke a California law that protects sexual harassment accusers — which was signed into law in 2023 by Gov. Gavin Newsom, following a wave of defamation suits against women who spoke up during the #MeToo movement. Lively's attorneys argued that once the suit is thrown out, Lively will be entitled to claim attorneys' fees and damages from Baldoni.

"In other words, in an epic self-own, the Wayfarer Parties' attempt to sue Ms. Lively 'into oblivion' has only created more liability for them, and deservedly so, given what they have done," they concluded.

Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman, responded by accusing Lively of "abusing our legal systems."

In a statement to Fox News Digital, he said, "Stringent rules are put into place to protect the innocent and allow individuals to rightfully defend themselves. Laws are not meant to be twisted and curated by privileged elites to fit their own personal agenda. As we said in response to Mr. Reynolds' same cowardly measures, we will continue to hold Ms. Lively accountable for her actions of pure malice which include falsely accusing my clients of harassment and retaliation. Her fantastical claims will be swiftly debunked as discovery moves forward, easily disproved with actual, evidentiary proof."

March 21, 2025: Justin Baldoni accuses former publicist of leaking texts in new lawsuit

In the sixth lawsuit tied to the* It Ends With Us* production, Baldoni and publicist Jennifer Abel sued his former publicist, Stephanie Jones, accusing her of kicking off the "catastrophic" feud with Lively and claiming she "maliciously" leaked private messages. Jones represented Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios at Joneswork PR, where Abel was a partner.

The complaint alleges that Jones violated client confidentiality by sharing private communications that later became central evidence in the lawsuit filed by Lively.

"It is undeniable that Stephanie Jones initiated this catastrophic sequence of events by violating the most basic of privacy rights, as well as any remaining trust her clients held," Baldoni's attorney Bryan Freedman said in a statement to PEOPLE. "No stranger to stirring up crisis scenarios for departing clients, Ms. Jones maliciously turned over communications from the phone she wrongfully took from her own partner to her cohort [Lively's personal publicist] Leslie Sloane, immediately after Jones was terminated for cause by Wayfarer due to her own wrongful behavior."

April 25, 2025: Lively publicly addresses lawsuit at Time100 gala

In a rare public appearance, Lively alluded to her ongoing legal battle with Baldoni while being honored at the 2025 Time100 gala.

"I have so much to say about the last two years of my life, but tonight is not the forum," Lively began. "What I *will* speak to separately is the feeling of being a woman who has a voice today."

Lively then turned the spotlight to her mother, Willie Elain Lively (née McAlpin) whom she claimed "never got justice" after a work acquaintance "attempted to take her life" before Lively was born.

"I've watched her conceal her raw and undeserved shame my entire life, so as her daughter, being asked to share this today is monumental," Lively said. "If we name it, we change it."

She continued, "It's a silent torch of womanhood that we've come to know, a pact that privately we must show others how to survive — literally or spiritually."

Blake Lively on 'Late Night with Seth Meyers'.

Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty

May 2, 2025: Lively makes first talk show appearance since lawsuit

While promoting her latest release, *Another Simple Favor*, Lively appeared on *Late Night With Seth Meyers* for her first TV interview since the legal battle with Baldoni first began. Noting that she could not go into detail on the subject, Lively acknowledged that she "has had a pretty intense year" and discussed the importance of women speaking out.

"I see so many women around afraid to speak, especially now, afraid to share their experience," she said. "And fear is by design — it's what keeps us silent. But I also acknowledge that many people don't have the opportunity to speak, so I do feel fortunate that I have been able to."

As the crowd began to applaud, she added, "It's the women who have had the ability to use their voice that's kept me strong and helped me in my belief and my fight for the world to be safer for women and girls. It's a pretty simple thing."**

May 9, 2025: Taylor Swift's rep speaks out after singer's attorney is subpoenaed

News broke in early May that an attorney for Lively's longtime friend, Taylor Swift, had been subpoenaed in the legal dispute, prompting a rep for the pop star to slam the maneuver as a scheme to generate "tabloid clickbait."

"Taylor Swift never set foot on the set of this movie, she was not involved in any casting or creative decisions, she did not score the film, she never saw an edit or made any notes on the film, she did not even see *It Ends With Us* until weeks after its public release, and was traveling around the globe during 2023 and 2024 headlining the biggest tour in history," a spokesperson for Swift told EW.

"The connection Taylor had to this film was permitting the use of one song, 'My Tears Ricochet,'" the rep continued. "Given that her involvement was licensing a song for the film, which 19 other artists also did, this document subpoena is designed to use Taylor Swift's name to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait instead of focusing on the facts of the case."

May 11, 2025: Baldoni ends social media hiatus

On Mother's Day, the *It Ends with Us* director broke his five-month social media silence with a post dedicated to his wife and mother.

"My mom gave us faith. My wife is the definition of it. Our children are growing up in the fortress of that love," Baldoni captioned a photo that sees him holding hands with his wife, Emily Baldoni, being embraced by his mother, Sharon Baldoni and his two children, "Happy Mother's Day to all."

The post garnered over 600,000 likes and 14,000 comments. Though Baldoni made no explicit reference to the contentious legal battle, fans mentioned the ongoing lawsuits while praising the actor in the comments section.**

"Baldoni, you are a true example of integrity and dedication. We're standing by you, every step of the way, until justice is served. You have our full support. #teamBaldoni," one comment read. Another fan wrote, "We stand with you JB!"

Blake Lively; Taylor Swift; Justin Baldoni.

Gotham/GC Images; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty; John Nacion/Variety via Getty

May 14, 2025: Baldoni's attorney defends Taylor Swift subpoena, Lively's lawyer responds

In a letter to the judge, Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, defended his claim that Swift is relevant to the case between Baldoni and Lively, alleging that Lively asked the "Cruel Summer" singer to delete correspondence between them. He further alleged that Lively's attorney, Mark Gottlieb, attempted to pressure Swift into publicly backing the actress.

The letter did not include evidence for Freedman's claims, and representatives for Baldoni didn't immediately respond to EW's request for comment.

Gottlieb denied these accusations in a statement provided to EW: "This is categorically false. We unequivocally deny all of these so-called allegations, which are cowardly sourced to supposed anonymous sources, and completely untethered from reality," he said.

Freedman's letter to the judge alleged that Swift's subpoena was justified because it "aims to obtain discovery relating to witness tampering and evidence spoliation."

He claimed that an unnamed "source who is highly likely to have reliable information" told Baldoni's team that Gottlieb contacted one of Swift's lawyers and "demanded that Ms. Swift release a statement of support for Ms. Lively, intimating that, if Ms. Swift refused to do so, private text messages of a personal nature in Ms. Lively's possession would be released."

Freedman concluded that Swift's participation in the case could potentially uncover "evidence [of] an attempt to intimidate and coerce a percipient witness."

Lively's attorneys filed a response letter Wednesday afternoon requesting to strike Freedman's letter from the record, arguing that it was "not filed with any evidentiary support of any kind, much less anything under oath," and that the letter was an attempt "to launder scandalous and defamatory allegations about Ms. Lively" to the media.

A representative for Swift didn't immediately respond to EW's request for comment.**

May 22, 2025: Baldoni's team drops Taylor Swift subpoena

A spokesperson for Lively confirmed to EW that Baldoni's team had withdrawn the subpoena against Swift.

"We supported the efforts of Taylor's team to quash these inappropriate subpoenas directed to her counsel, and we will continue to stand up for any third party who is unjustly harassed or threatened in the process," the spokesperson said in a statement.

"Faced with having to justify themselves in federal court, they folded," the statement added. "At some point, they will run out of distractions from the actual claims of sexual harassment and retaliation they are facing."

Representatives for Baldoni and Swift didn't immediately respond to EW's request for comment.**

Blake Lively at a screening of 'Another Simple Favor' in New York; Justin Baldoni at the Variety Faith and Spirituality in Entertainment Honors in Beverly Hills.

Taylor Hill/FilmMagic; Araya Doheny/Variety via Getty

May 30, 2025: Lively moves to drop emotional distress claims, slams 'press stunt' from Baldoni's lawyers

Attorneys for Lively filed a motion to withdraw and dismiss her claims of intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent infliction of emotional distress, saying the move would streamline the case and focus on other claims made against Baldoni.

The filing came after Baldoni's legal team sought discovery that included Lively's medical records as evidence of the alleged emotional distress. Lawyers requested that the actress sign a HIPAA release providing access to her therapy notes and relevant medical information. When Lively attempted to drop the charges, lawyers for Wayfarer and Baldoni doubled down, filing a motion to compel the actress to share her medical records. Attorney Kevin Fritz said in a court filing that Lively "cannot have it both ways."

Lively's lawyers condemned the move in a statement to EW. "Once again this is a routine part of the litigation process that is being used as a press stunt," Hudson and Gottlieb said. "We are doing what trial lawyers do: preparing our case for trial by streamlining and focusing it; they are doing what they do: desperately seeking another tired round of tabloid coverage."

Gottlieb also addressed the motion from Baldoni's legal team in a letter to Judge Liman.

"The Motion was filed for a single audience: the media," he wrote. "There is nothing for this Court to compel. As the Wayfarer Parties make abundantly clear in their Motion, Ms. Lively voluntarily agreed to withdraw her infliction of emotional distress claims on Friday, May 30. Ms. Lively did so in good faith to streamline the dispute in the ordinary litigation process given the damages she otherwise anticipates recovering. Counsel for the Wayfarer Parties concede and are aware that this renders their discovery moot. But they also have been desperately searching for an angle to make a show out of Ms. Lively's decision to streamline her case."

Attorneys for Baldoni didn't respond to request for comment.

June 3, 2025: Lively's emotional distress claims officially dead

Judge Liman ruled that Lively's claims of emotional distress were officially dead, and Baldoni's motion to compel was denied "based on Plaintiff's representation that the relevant claims will be withdrawn."

The judge further stipulated that the dueling legal teams must reach an agreement about either dismissing the claims with or without prejudice — barring Lively from refiling at a later date — or she can "renew her request by formal motion," but either way, she may not offer "any evidence of emotional distress."

Lively's lawyers spun the ruling as a win, blasting the motion from the Baldoni-Wayfarer legal team as "utterly pointless."

"The court denied Wayfarer's motion," Hudson and Gottlieb said in a statement. "He told the parties to continue their discussions about the technicalities of how 2 of the 15 claims will be voluntarily dismissed. Ms. Lively has offered to dismiss those claims because they are no longer necessary, and she will continue to pursue emotional distress damages through other claims in her lawsuit, including sexual harassment and retaliation."

Baldoni's legal team didn't immediately respond to request for comment.

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds; Justin Baldoni.

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty; John Nacion/Variety via Getty

June 9, 2025: Baldoni's countersuit is thrown out

Lively's legal team claimed "total victory" after Judge Liman threw out Baldoni's $400 million countersuit against her and Reynolds.

In a motion June 9, Liman dismissed the entire lawsuit filed by Baldoni and Wayfarer accusing Lively of extortion, defamation, and breach of contract. Liman's ruling found that since Lively's claims against Baldoni were first made in a complaint to the California Civil Rights Department (which was then reported on by the *The New York Times*), the claims are covered by litigation privilege and not considered defamatory.

Liman also dismissed the claims of defamation made against Lively's publicist and Reynolds, in addition to the $250 million defamation suit Baldoni filed against the *New York Times* over the publication's story that first brought Lively's allegations to light.

In a statement to EW, a spokesperson for the *Times* said, "We are grateful to the court for seeing the lawsuit for what it was: a meritless attempt to stifle honest reporting. Our journalists went out and covered carefully and fairly a story of public importance, and the court recognized that the law is designed to protect just that sort of journalism."

While the defamation claims were dismissed, the judge noted that Baldoni's legal team could still amend and refile the claims against Lively for breach of implied covenant and tortious interference with contract, with a deadline of June 23.

In a statement to **, Lively's attorneys said, "Today's opinion is a total victory and a complete vindication for Blake Lively, along with those that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties dragged into their retaliatory lawsuit, including Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane and *The New York Times*."

They continued, "As we have said from day one, this '$400 million' lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it. We look forward to the next round, which is seeking attorneys' fees, treble damages and punitive damages against Baldoni, [Wayfarer co-founder Steve] Sarowitz, Nathan, and the other Wayfarer Parties who perpetrated this abusive litigation."

Representatives for Baldoni didn't respond to EW's request for comment.

June 18, 2024 - Judge orders Lively to turn over Taylor Swift texts

Judge Liman ruled on June 18 that Lively must turn over all relevant text message exchanges with singer Taylor Swift to Baldoni's legal team.

In the document obtained by EW, Liman wrote that "Lively herself has identified Swift as someone likely to have knowledge about complaints or discussions regarding the working environment on the set of *It Ends With Us*."

He added that requests from Baldoni's legal team to see Lively's messages are "reasonably tailored to discover information that would prove or disprove Lively's harassment and retaliation claims."

Judge Liman did acknowledge concerns from Lively's legal team that Baldoni and his lawyers seek Swift's text messages "to prop up a public relations narrative *outside of court*." But, he continued, "this concern does not justify denying the Wayfarer Parties relevant discovery." The ruling also saw Liman deny Baldoni and Wayfarer's cross-motion to compel, which asked Lively to produce documents related to the production.

In a statement to EW, a spokesperson for Lively claimed, "Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer parties demanded access to Taylor Swift's private communications — despite having already subpoenaed and then withdrawn that subpoena. Baldoni's desire to drag Taylor Swift into this has been constant dating back to August 2024, when the crisis PR firm led by Melissa Nathan included her in their 'Scenario Planning' document referred to her as a bully, and called for a strategy to influence the 'TS fanbase.'"

The statement continued, "We will continue to call out Baldoni's relentless efforts to exploit Ms Swift's popularity, which from day one has been nothing more than a distraction from the serious sexual harassment and retaliation accusations he and the Wayfarer parties are facing."

Representatives for Swift and Baldoni did not respond to EW's request for comment.

lake Lively attends "Another Simple Favour" screening on April 15, 2025 in London, England.

Mike Marsland/WireImage

July 11, 2025 - Lively requests a protective order ahead of her deposition

Ahead of her July 17 deposition, Lively filed a motion requesting a protective order, raising concerns that Baldoni's legal team is planning a media ambush.

"Defendants have not denied that their intent is to manufacture a harassing publicity stunt by requiring Ms. Lively to parade through paparazzi, or by inviting unknown attendees to the deposition, including members of the media or social media influencers, or any other number of abusive tactics," alleged the filing.

Her attorney additionally claimed that Baldoni's legal team has refused to address concerns about safety and privacy.

"Since virtually the inception of this litigation, Defendants have used even the prospect of Ms. Lively's deposition to generate press interest," they continued. The filing went on to cite comments made by Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman, proposing Madison Square Garden as a venue for the actress' deposition.

"Since Ms. Lively is open to testifying, let's make it count," Freedman told PEOPLE in May. "Hold the deposition at MSG, sell tickets or stream it, and donate every dollar to organizations helping victims of domestic abuse."

Attorneys for Lively argued that such commentary demonstrates that Freedman can not be trusted, and requested that Lively be deposed at a redacted location of her team's choosing.

A representative for the actress told PEOPLE that Lively is "looking forward to her deposition next week, and it should follow the same rules as every other witness in this case."

The statement continued, "Justin Baldoni's lawyer has tried to make this matter a public spectacle at every turn, even proposing to sell tickets to a televised deposition at Madison Square Garden. This is a serious matter of sexual harassment and retaliation and it deserves to be treated as such."

Attorneys for Baldoni did not respond to EW's request for comment.**

July 13, 2025 - Baldoni accuses Lively of using 'celebrity status' to control deposition

Baldoni's legal team addressed Lively's request in a letter to Judge Liman, calling the motion an attempt on Lively's part to use "celebrity status" to dictate and control the deposition "at a location of her choosing."

One of Baldoni's attorneys, Mitchell Schuster, argued, "Lively does not present a single fact to support her allegations of a 'plot' to use the deposition as a 'publicity stunt.' Lively is a plaintiff who has hurled serious allegations of misconduct against the Wayfarer Parties. Like all defendants, the Wayfarer Parties are entitled to depose Lively to develop evidence crucial to their defense. They are also entitled to choose the location of the deposition, which they did."

He additionally made the case that their request to depose Lively at the Manhattan office of the Wayfarer Parties' counsel Meister Seelig & Fein was important as the team may need to confer with attorneys not presenting the room and that the office affords them the ability to "print, copy and mark additional documents during the examination."

July 14, 2025 - Judge allows Lively to choose location of her deposition

Judge Liman granted Lively's protective order on Monday, fulfilling both of her requests.

Per the ruling, Lively may indeed choose the space of her deposition but must make arrangements for Baldoni's legal team to have a dedicated computer and the ability to print and copy documents throughout the examination. Additionally, Baldoni's team must provide the identities of exactly who will attend the hearing by midday on July 15.**

Aug. 1, 2025 - Baldoni's legal team cites a sealed copy of Lively's testimony

Following Lively's July 31 deposition (which was postponed from its originally scheduled July 15 date), Baldoni's legal team filed a motion that cited a statement from the actress' testimony and included a sealed copy of her entire 292-page deposition transcript.

Aug. 4, 2025 - Lively's attorneys demand the transcript be stricken from court record

Lively's legal team responded by accusing Baldoni's attorneys of using the court system to engage in a pre-trial "press tour," smearing Lively's character. In a motion filed on Monday, Aug. 4, they asked a federal judge to strike the deposition transcript from the court record. According to Lively's attorneys, only two pages of the transcript were actually cited, yet the full, unreviewed draft was attached.

"There is no conceivable legal purpose to file the whole transcript," wrote Esra Hudson, an attorney for the actress. "Particularly given that it has not been reviewed, corrected or finalized."

The letter to the judge called this move a "manufactured excuse to force the transcript into the public domain as fodder for the Wayfarer Defendants' media campaign," adding that it was "a tactic [that] perfectly demonstrates the counsel-as-PR-agent role."

He continued, "The Wayfarer Defendants and their counsel hope to make Ms. Lively defend the continued sealing of the transcript so they can advance a false narrative that Ms. Lively is afraid of her deposition testimony becoming public, which is entirely untrue and deeply harmful."

Lively's attorneys additionally accused Baldoni's legal team of leaking details from the deposition to the tabloid media to "advance a storyline that the deposition was a face-to-face showdown between Mr. Baldoni and Ms. Lively." Denying this, the actress' lawyers clarified that Lively testified across the table from "Mr. Baldoni, Jamey Heath, Steve Sarowitz, Melissa Nathan, and Jennifer Abel, all of whom attended this deposition in person, as well as eight attorneys representing the Wayfarer and Wallace Parties, two of whom questioned her."

Representatives for Baldoni did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.

Original Article on Source

Source: "AOL Celebrity"

Read More

---

Source: Astro Blog

Full Article on Source: Astro Blog

#LALifestyle #USCelebrities