What started as a headline-grabbing clash between Blake Lively and her former co-star Justin Baldoni shows no signs of fading away.
While Halloween celebrations saw Lively, 38, playfully dressed as an elderly woman alongside her husband Ryan Reynolds, behind the scenes, the courtroom drama has been anything but lighthearted.
Despite reports suggesting Baldoni’s $400 million lawsuit over It Ends With Us had fizzled out due to missed deadlines, his legal team is pushing back hard.
Baldoni’s lawyer, veteran litigator Bryan Freedman, told the Daily Mail that the narrative is far from accurate.
According to him, no deadlines were missed. Freedman explained that the decision not to file an amended complaint—which prompted Judge Lewis Liman to enter a final judgment earlier this week—was a strategic move to preserve Baldoni’s right to appeal.
Setting the Record Straight
In a statement released exclusively to the Daily Mail, Freedman emphasized the distortions circulating in the media.
“The truth regarding this case continuously and completely gets distorted in the media,” he said.
“Even something as simple as a procedural update has resulted in a total mischaracterization.”
Freedman added, “No deadlines were missed. Our clients chose not to amend their complaint to preserve appeal rights. In the meantime, we are focusing on Ms. Lively’s claims.
We remain fully committed to pursuing the truth through every legal and factual avenue available and look forward to our day in court.”
How It All Began
The legal feud erupted last December when Lively filed a $250 million harassment complaint against Baldoni, alleging inappropriate behavior on the set of It Ends With Us.
The allegations were amplified by a New York Times exposé, which accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and suggested he orchestrated a media smear campaign against Lively.
Baldoni, 41, countered with a $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively and the New York Times, bringing Reynolds into the mix as well.
He claimed that Lively had tried to take control of his film, drawing a bizarre comparison between herself and Game of Thrones’ Khaleesi, while humorously dubbing Reynolds and former friend Taylor Swift as her “dragons.”
The Tangle of Allegations
The case has since spiraled into a maze of claims and counterclaims.
Even Swift was briefly subpoenaed before the request was canceled.
Lively’s team has alleged that Baldoni and his associates used digital tools to manipulate evidence, hiding key information throughout the discovery process.
They claimed the defendants either withheld documents or improperly invoked attorney-client privilege to obscure evidence.
In addition, Lively demanded that producer Jamey Heath hand over more footage of his wife Natasha’s home birth.
In a court motion filed October 30, she accused Heath of providing only a three-minute clip, which she argued was not the same video shown to her on set.
Lively labeled the footage, which she alleges was displayed to her and an assistant, as “pornography” rather than a legitimate part of the film’s birthing scene.
The Digital Warfare Allegations
Lively’s lawyers also painted a picture of a coordinated effort by Baldoni’s team to damage her reputation using digital tools.
According to court filings, this included messaging apps like Signal, voice memos, and other software.
The actress’s legal team has described a relentless barrage of discovery motions—no fewer than 12—from Baldoni’s side, all part of a strategy they say was designed to intimidate and overwhelm.
For his part, Justin Baldoni has denied all allegations, and the legal battle continues to unfold in New York’s Southern District court.
What’s Next?
With both camps digging in and strategic moves shaping the next stages of litigation, the showdown between Lively and Baldoni is far from over.
While the public may have seen Lively enjoying Halloween festivities, the courtroom drama promises that the story behind the headlines is still very much alive.