The trademark dispute between actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni is escalating. They are now trapped in a messy back-and-forth of public accusations and lawsuits after having collaborated on the independent film adaptation of “It Ends With Us.” Then, in December 2022, Lively decided it was time to go on the offensive, filing a complaint against Baldoni. Her charge was sexual harassment that occurred during their time on set. Naturally, Baldoni directed the lovestruck adolescent film and he has since adamantly denied the claims. His attorney, Bryan Freedman, issued a statement on Baldoni’s behalf, reiterating his innocence.
Lively’s legal team, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, went a step further by declaring their intent to seek emotional distress damages. They are filing claims for sexual harassment and retaliation, raising the stakes. The activists were determined to send a message that Lively would not easily walk away from his pursuit of justice.
Baldoni went on the offensive in January 2023, filing a civil lawsuit. She aimed at Sloane, Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and Sloane’s firm Vision PR. Baldoni’s counter-suit claims extortion and defamation, an even additionally complicated twist to the messy legal battle.
In a somewhat unexpected twist, Lively chose to retract two of the fifteen claims in her lawsuit. Importantly, she argued that those claims shouldn’t be needed. Her lawyers announced Tuesday that her departure was voluntary and came on May 30. This withdrawal included claims related to emotional distress that were especially controversial. Things turned heated when Judge Lewis Liman ruled to heighten the controversy. He ruled that Lively was no longer required to share her medical records with the court after she dropped those claims.
Baldoni’s legal team didn’t let it die quietly. For this reason, they accused Ryan Reynolds of calling Baldoni a “sexual predator.” It’s clear this claim came out of nowhere during an interesting discussion he did with his agent. This allegation really threw fuel on the fire, in large part because it seemed to imply some sort of concerted effort to smear Baldoni’s reputation.
Lively’s lawyers hit back hard against Baldoni’s efforts to compel her medical records. They called it “yet another last-ditch effort to fix her bad name. A name she made for herself based on her own statement and behavior during the campaigning of the movie.” Behind the scenes, they pleaded, the legal maneuvers were less about the strength of the public policy arguments and more about the public relations.
“This is exactly where both parties were before the Baldoni-Wayfarer Parties rushed to file this utterly pointless motion to compel, all searching for yet another press moment.” – Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb
This feud between the two headliners is deeper than just accusations. The court documents showed that Lively’s lawyers painted Baldoni’s actions as “yet another chapter in the abuser playbook.” This authored a much more damaging culture of behavior as opposed to just one-off events.
Even though Judge Liman’s ruling was clear on its face, Lively has fought tooth and nail to keep her claims alive. If she doesn’t, the court will forbid her from offering any proof of emotional distress going forward. This ruling will significantly affect what happens next with each party’s case. Specifically, it undermines the centrality of emotional distress claims.
“For avoidance of doubt, if the claims are not dismissed, the Court will preclude Lively from offering any evidence of emotional distress.” – Judge Lewis Liman
This public feud has captured major media buzz, tapping into the nation’s current fear and fury over workplace harassment, and the lack of accountability in Tinseltown. Lively and Baldoni co-star in It Ends With Us, a movie that boldly goes to some emotionally fraught places. Their productive political partnership plays out against an escalating backdrop of personal attacks and allegations, making for a riveting first act of the story.
