The gossip started as a low hum. It was just a few TikTok theories about why the cast of It Ends With Us didn't pose together at the 2024 premiere. Then, the hum turned into a roar. By late 2024, the rumors solidified into a massive legal war that has since gripped Hollywood. It isn't just a "creative difference" anymore. Blake Lively has filed a lawsuit against Justin Baldoni, and the details spilling out of the New York federal court are, frankly, wild.
Lively isn't just suing for a paycheck. Her 80-plus page complaint alleges a toxic cocktail of sexual harassment, retaliation, and a calculated "smear campaign" designed to ruin her reputation. Baldoni, for his part, hasn't stayed quiet. He fired back with a massive countersuit—which has since hit some major legal snags—claiming that Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, basically staged a coup to steal the movie.
The Spark: What the Lawsuit Actually Alleges
In her filing, Lively paints a picture of a set that felt less like a professional workplace and more like a minefield. She claims Baldoni made inappropriate comments about her body and even described his own genitalia in front of her. One of the more bizarre allegations involves a meeting where Lively says Baldoni showed her a video of a woman giving birth without her consent.
It gets heavier. Lively alleges that Baldoni created a "hostile work environment" by improvising romantic scenes and physical intimacy that hadn't been discussed or choreographed. For an actress who has been in the business for decades, these aren't small gripes. They are serious breaches of on-set safety protocols.
"This case at its core is about a woman who was subjected to a hostile work environment and is being attacked for standing up to protect herself," says Sigrid McCawley, the high-profile attorney Lively recently added to her team.
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Interestingly, McCawley is the same lawyer who represented Jeffrey Epstein’s victims. Bringing her on board sends a very specific message: Lively is digging in for a long, public fight.
The "Buckingham Palace" and the Power Struggle
Justin Baldoni’s side of the story is the total opposite. In his October 2025 deposition, he claimed that Lively was the one running the show. He revealed that Lively allegedly referred to her New York City home office as "Buckingham Palace" because of the sheer number of celebrities who cycled through it.
Baldoni claims Lively insisted all production meetings happen there. He felt "trapped." According to his legal team, Lively and Reynolds used their combined "A-list" weight to "hijack" the film from him. He alleges they cut him out of the editing room, dismissed his chosen composer, and eventually barred him from the very premiere of the movie he directed.
Why Baldoni's $400 Million Countersuit Fumbled
For a while, it looked like a stalemate. Baldoni sued Lively and Reynolds for a staggering $400 million, alleging defamation and extortion. He also went after The New York Times for $250 million, claiming they published a "one-sided smear."
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But the courts haven't been kind to those claims.
In June 2025, U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Liman dismissed Baldoni’s suits against Lively and Reynolds. The judge’s reasoning? You generally can’t sue someone for defamation over things they say in a legal complaint—that's protected. He also ruled that Lively’s alleged threats to not promote the movie didn't qualify as "extortion" under the law because she wasn't legally obligated to promote it in the first place.
The Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun Subpoenas
If you thought this was just about two actors, you’d be wrong. This case has spiraled to include some of the biggest names in the music industry. Lively’s team filed to subpoena Scooter Braun and his company, Hybe America. Why? They believe there’s a link between Braun and Baldoni’s PR counsel.
They even tried to pull Taylor Swift into the mix, though Baldoni's team eventually dropped that subpoena after a massive public outcry. The discovery process has been a mess of sealed filings and "subpoena battles." It's basically a scavenger hunt for text messages that prove who was really trying to "destroy" whom.
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What Happens Next: The Road to May 2026
The legal drama isn't ending anytime soon. While a lot of the side-lawsuits have been tossed out, the core case—Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni—is still very much alive.
Here is what is on the horizon:
- The Trial Date: Originally set for March, a judge pushed it back to May 18, 2026. Criminal trials took priority, but the civil case is still a "go."
- Discovery Battles: Expect more unsealed texts. We've already seen messages where Baldoni’s PR team allegedly discussed "social account take downs" to change the narrative.
- The "Buckingham Palace" Deposition: More transcripts from Baldoni’s 2025 depositions are likely to leak, offering more insight into the alleged "bullying" on set.
Kinda messy, right? It's a classic "he said, she said," but with hundreds of millions of dollars and some of the most powerful reputations in the world on the line.
If you're following this, the best thing to do is keep an eye on the Southern District of New York (SDNY) court filings. That's where the real evidence—the texts, the emails, and the witness statements—is actually being verified. Don't just rely on the PR spin from either side. We'll likely see a lot more "selective leaks" as both teams prepare for that May 2026 trial date.