The ‘It Ends With Us’ saga continues as Justin Baldoni sues Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds with claims of extortion and defamation.
Baldoni is claiming that the couple actively sought to “destroy” him by taking over the production of ‘It Ends With Us’ and targeting him with false allegations of sexual harassment.
The lawsuit filed by Baldoni is separate from his suit against The New York Times, who he’s seeking to recoup $250m from on the basis of libel.
Baldoni’s most recent lawsuit, filed on behalf of the actor and his team of publicists, was submitted in the southern district of New York on January 16.
Its contents reveal claims of civil extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy, and asks for $400m in damages.
The claims are in response to Blake Lively’s civil complaint against Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and publicists Jennifer Abel and Melissa Nathan, initially filed with the California Civil Rights Department on December 21, then escalated to an official lawsuit on December 31, 2024.
“At bottom, this is not a case about celebrities sniping at each other in the press,” Baldoni’s filing against Lively and Reynolds reads.
“This is a case about two of the most powerful stars in the world deploying their enormous power to steal an entire film right out of the hands of its director and production studio.”
The 179-page submission echoes Baldoni’s David Vs Goliath narrative, maintaining that he fell victim to the two Hollywood heavyweights not, as it was reported, the other way around.
“When Plaintiffs have their day in court, the jury will recognize that even the most powerful celebrity cannot bend the truth to their will.”
Further to the defamation claims, the contents of Baldoni’s most recent lawsuit echoes those made against The Times. In that it argues the text messages and communications used to pursue its narrative were “cherrypicked information” and “stripped of necessary context and deliberately spliced to mislead.”
What Does Baldoni’s Legal Statement Say?

“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 lawyer Bryan Freedman in a statement.
“Blake Lively was either severely misled by her team or intentionally and knowingly misrepresented the truth. Ms. Lively will never again be allowed to continue to exploit actual victims of real harassment solely for her personal reputation gain at the expense of those without power,” he continued.
The statement goes on to accuse Lively of using her sway to “bulldoze reputations and livelihoods for heinously selfish reasons through their own dangerous manipulation of the media before even taking any actual legal action.”
Does Justin Baldoni Name Taylor Swift In His Lawsuit?

While no specific reference is made to Taylor Swift in the latest filings, – which we’ve investigated here – Baldoni has mentioned a meeting with Lively and Reynolds where a “famous, and famously close, friend of Reynolds and Lively, walked into the room.”
The submission also includes text messages exchanged between Baldoni and Lively where he expressed his enthusiasm over Lively’s additions to the script, saying he “really love[s]” them.
Adding that he “would have felt that way without Ryan and Taylor.”
In a reply to Baldoni, Lively calls her husband and alleged famous friend, her “most trusted partners” and protective “dragons.”
Baldoni’s lawsuit alleges that Lively and Reynolds – along with the unnamed “friend”, were “two of the most influential and wealthy celebrities in the world, who were not afraid to make things very difficult for him.”
Lively and Swift’s long-standing friendship is well known to the public, with the pop star named as Godmother to their three children.
Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds Respond
Hours after Baldoni’s lawsuit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds was submitted, legal representatives for the couple have responded.
Attorneys Manatt, Phelps & Phillips and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP outlined in a statement shared with Deadline, that the lawsuit was just “another chapter in the abuser playbook.”
“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.”
“Wayfarer has opted to use the resources of its billionaire co-founder to issue media statements, launch meritless lawsuits, and threaten litigation to overwhelm the public’s ability to understand that what they are doing is retaliation against sexual harassment allegations” continued the lawyers, before responding to Baldoni’s claims that Lively removed his creative control.
“They are trying to shift the narrative to Ms. Lively by falsely claiming that she seized creative control and alienated the cast from Mr. Baldoni. The evidence will show that the cast and others had their own negative experiences with Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer. The evidence will also show that Sony asked Ms. Lively to oversee Sony’s cut of the film, which they then selected for distribution and was a resounding success.”
“In short, while the victim focuses on the abuse, the abuser focuses on the victim. The strategy of attacking the woman is desperate, it does not refute the evidence in Ms. Lively’s complaint, and it will fail.”
Related articles:
- Lively Takes Her Lawsuit Federal After Baldoni “Leaves Her No Choice”
- Taylor Swift Is Being Dragged Into Justin Baldoni’s Lawsuit
- Blake Lively’s ‘It Ends With Us’ Co-Stars Speak Out Following Lawsuit