Blake Lively back in court demanding money from Justin Baldoni
Attorneys representing Hollywood actress Blake Lively returned to a New York court on Monday seeking legal fees and damages from actor and filmmaker Justin Baldoni, despite the two parties reaching an out-of-court settlement last month in their long-running legal dispute.
Lively’s legal team argued that the defamation lawsuit filed against her by Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, amounted to retaliation and was therefore prohibited under California law.
However, attorneys representing Baldoni rejected the allegations, maintaining that the claims were legitimate.
The exact amount Lively is seeking in legal fees and damages has not been publicly disclosed.
The dispute began in December 2024 when Lively filed a complaint accusing Baldoni, who starred in and directed the film It Ends with Us, of making inappropriate comments about his sex life and attempting to introduce intimate scenes that were not included in the original script.
The actress, who rose to prominence through the hit television series Gossip Girl, also alleged that Baldoni orchestrated a coordinated public relations and social media campaign designed to damage her reputation.
In response, Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios filed counterclaims against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, accusing them of defamation and extortion. However, those claims were later dismissed by the court.
Wayfarer Studios has consistently denied retaliating against Lively, maintaining that neither the company, its executives nor its public relations team engaged in any wrongdoing.
The federal judge overseeing the matter, Lewis Liman, dismissed some of Lively’s allegations but allowed her retaliation claims to proceed.
Although both sides reached a settlement last month, the full terms of the agreement have not been made public.
Based on the bestselling novel by Colleen Hoover, It Ends with Us became one of the biggest box-office successes of 2024, earning more than $350 million worldwide.
