Hollywood is usually pretty good at keeping its skeletons locked in the closet, at least until the press tour is over. But the fallout from It Ends With Us basically blew the doors off the hinges. If you've been following the messy legal trail, you know that the "Ryan Reynolds lawsuit Blake Lively" saga isn't just one simple case. It's a massive, tangled web of defamation claims, $400 million demands, and unsealed text messages that make most movie scripts look boring.
Honestly, the whole thing feels like a fever dream. One minute we’re watching Blake Lively promote a florist-themed romance movie, and the next, there are federal judges throwing out multi-million dollar lawsuits involving Deadpool himself.
The $400 Million Counter-Punch
The core of the legal chaos started when Justin Baldoni, the director and co-star of the film, filed a massive $400 million lawsuit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. This wasn't just a "we didn't get along" kind of thing. Baldoni alleged civil extortion and defamation. He basically claimed that the power couple used their massive industry influence to hijack the film and destroy his reputation.
It didn't stick.
In June 2025, U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman dismissed Baldoni's suit against Reynolds and Lively. The judge basically said the claims were fundamentally flawed. Specifically, the court ruled that Lively’s original accusations of sexual harassment—which she filed against Baldoni in late 2024—were part of legal filings and therefore protected. You can't really sue someone for defamation over things said in a protected legal complaint, at least not easily.
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Why Ryan Reynolds Was Dragged Into This
You might be wondering why Ryan Reynolds was even in the paperwork. He wasn't technically an actor in the movie. However, court filings revealed that he was way more involved than a typical "supportive husband."
Baldoni’s team argued that Reynolds wasn't some "innocent third party." They pointed to a specific meeting in the couple's Manhattan penthouse—a place Lively reportedly nicknamed "Buckingham Palace" because of all the celebrities who hung out there. According to deposition transcripts from late 2025, Baldoni claimed Reynolds "berated" him during a meeting at the apartment. The argument was over allegations that Baldoni had "fat-shamed" Blake while she was pregnant during filming.
There's also the whole "creative hijacking" angle. Reports surfaced that Reynolds actually wrote a significant portion of a key rooftop scene. While that sounds like a helpful husband move, in the world of high-stakes film contracts and Director's Guild rules, it became a major point of contention in the legal battle.
The Unsealed "Trap" Texts
Just this month, in January 2026, things got even weirder. New court documents unsealed text messages between Baldoni and his agents at WME. In one message from late 2023, Baldoni told his agent that Lively was "setting me up for a trap."
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The dispute? Sex scenes.
- Baldoni claimed Lively refused to use a body double.
- He alleged she rejected all his storyboards for the intimate moments.
- He complained she was "rewriting the writer and director."
Lively’s team hasn't stayed quiet, though. They’ve countered that these messages were sent only after Blake had already complained about a hostile work environment. It’s a classic "he said, she said," but with way more lawyers and expensive New York real estate involved.
Where the Case Stands Right Now
If you’re looking for a final verdict, you’ll have to wait a bit longer. While Baldoni's big $400 million suit against Reynolds was tossed, Blake Lively’s original lawsuit against Baldoni is still moving forward.
The trial was supposed to happen in March 2026, but it just got pushed back. As of mid-January 2026, the trial is officially set for May 18, 2026.
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One of the big fights happening right now is about "sealing" information. Lively’s legal team wants to keep the names of her famous friends out of the public record. We’re talking about people like Taylor Swift, Hugh Jackman, and Emily Blunt. Baldoni’s lawyers are fighting this, arguing that these celebs were "recruited as advocates" and their involvement is key to the defense.
What This Means for Hollywood Power Couples
The "Ryan Reynolds lawsuit Blake Lively" drama has kinda changed the way people look at "creative collaboration." For years, we loved the idea of Ryan and Blake helping each other on sets. It was "couple goals." But this legal mess shows the dark side of that influence. When a mega-star husband steps in to "help" on a project he isn't hired for, it can create a legal nightmare for the actual director on record.
Basically, the industry is watching this trial to see where the line is drawn between "creative input" and "professional interference."
Actionable Takeaways from the Legal Drama
If you're following this for more than just the gossip, there are a few real-world lessons here about workplace law and reputation management:
- Paper trails are everything. The only reason we know about the "Buckingham Palace" meetings or the "trap" texts is because of meticulous record-keeping during the dispute.
- The "Litigation Privilege" is a powerful shield. Blake Lively's initial claims were protected from a defamation countersuit largely because they were part of a formal legal process.
- Power dynamics matter. The court's decision to dismiss the suit against Reynolds suggests that "being mean" or "berating" someone in a meeting—while unpleasant—doesn't always meet the high legal bar for extortion or defamation.
The next major date to watch is January 22, 2026, for a pre-trial hearing. That's when we'll likely find out if the "famous friends" list stays secret or if the court forces the names of Hollywood's biggest stars into the public light. For now, the "Total Victory" Lively’s lawyers claimed in 2025 is still being tested in the lead-up to the May trial.