If you’ve spent any time on TikTok or X lately, you know the "It Ends With Us" press tour was basically a slow-motion car crash. But the real wreckage isn't in the awkward red carpet snubs. It’s in the dry, 100-plus page legal filings sitting in the Southern District of New York. People are scrambling to find the justin baldoni lawsuit document pdf because they want the receipts. And honestly? The receipts are wilder than the rumors.
Forget the "vibes" and the "he said, she said" Instagram drama. When you look at the actual court documents, specifically Case 1:24-cv-10049-LJL and Case 1:25-cv-00449, you see two completely different movies being filmed at the same time. One was a domestic violence drama. The other was a high-stakes power struggle between a director and his lead actress that eventually involves Ryan Reynolds, publicists, and allegations of "social manipulation."
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The Document That Started the War
Most people looking for the justin baldoni lawsuit document pdf are actually looking for one of two things: Blake Lively's initial complaint or Baldoni's massive $400 million countersuit.
In late 2024, the dam broke. Lively filed a formal complaint alleging sexual harassment and a "hostile work environment." If you read the filing, it’s not just vague complaints. She alleges Baldoni ignored intimacy protocols and improvised physical contact—like biting her lower lip during a scene—without consent. The documents even detail an "all-hands meeting" on January 4, 2024, where everyone supposedly sat down to list "protections" so they could actually finish the movie.
But then there's the other side. Baldoni’s filing reads like a thriller about Hollywood gatekeeping. He claims Lively and Reynolds essentially hijacked the film. He alleges she refused to use a body double for sex scenes to "set him up," and that her team launched a smear campaign to "bury" him after she faced backlash for her "tone-deaf" press tour.
What’s Actually in the 93-Page Filing?
It’s dense. It’s messy. It’s very Hollywood.
The core of the legal battle centers on "creative control" and "reputational damage." Baldoni’s legal team, led by Bryan Freedman, argues that Lively used her massive star power to sideline the director from his own project. They point to the fact that Baldoni was basically ghosted during the promotional tour.
Key Allegations Found in the Documents:
- The "Fat-Shaming" Incident: Lively alleged Baldoni asked about her weight before a lift scene because of his back issues; Baldoni’s team argues this was a medical precaution, not an insult.
- The Trailer Intrusions: Lively’s filing claims Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath entered her trailer while she was breastfeeding; Baldoni’s countersuit included text messages suggesting he was invited in to go over lines.
- The $400 Million Claim: Baldoni sued Lively, Reynolds, and their publicist Leslie Sloane, claiming they tried to "destroy" his livelihood.
- The New York Times Factor: Baldoni even sued The New York Times for $250 million over an article titled "We Can Bury Anyone," alleging they participated in a coordinated hit piece.
Why the Cases Were Dismissed (And Why It’s Not Over)
Here is where it gets technical. In June 2025, U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman tossed Baldoni’s defamation suits. Why? Basically, the judge ruled that the statements made—even the ones in the New York Times—were protected. In the legal world, "litigation privilege" means you can't usually sue someone for defamation based on what they put in a legal complaint or what a reporter accurately says about that complaint.
Baldoni had a chance to amend his claims, but he missed a deadline in October 2025. That effectively killed his $400 million quest.
However, Lively’s sexual harassment and retaliation case against Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios is still very much alive. That’s the "active" part of the justin baldoni lawsuit document pdf saga. As of right now, a trial is tentatively set for May 18, 2026.
The Ryan Reynolds and Taylor Swift Connection
The filings aren't just about the two leads. They pull in the whole squad.
Baldoni’s legal team actually petitioned to subpoena Taylor Swift. Yeah, you read that right. He claimed Lively used her friendship with Swift and her marriage to Reynolds to "coerce" him into accepting Lively’s edit of the film. He even alleged there were private texts between the stars that would prove he was being blackmailed into silence.
The court actually granted him access to some of those text conversations with Swift in mid-2025. It’s rare to see that level of high-profile discovery in a standard workplace dispute.
How to Access the Real Documents
If you're looking for the actual justin baldoni lawsuit document pdf, you don't have to rely on sketchy download links. These are public records. You can find them through PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) by searching the Southern District of New York for "Wayfarer Studios LLC v. Lively" or "Lively v. Baldoni."
Be warned: they are long. You'll be scrolling through hundreds of pages of emails, text screenshots, and legal jargon about "tortious interference."
Practical Steps for Following the Case:
- Check PACER regularly: New motions are filed almost monthly leading up to the May 2026 trial.
- Read the Exhibits: The "Exhibits" attached to the PDF are where the real juice is—screenshots of the "all-hands" meeting notes and internal PR strategies.
- Ignore the "Summary" Tweets: Most viral threads leave out the judge’s specific rulings on what constitutes protected speech.
This isn't just a feud; it’s a massive legal precedent for how "creative differences" can morph into career-ending allegations. Whether you're Team Justin or Team Blake, the documents prove one thing: making a movie about healing from trauma was, ironically, a pretty traumatic experience for everyone involved.
Keep an eye on the May 2026 trial date. That's when these documents stop being PDFs and start being testimony.