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Legal Dispute Escalates Between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively
Hollywood actors Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively are embroiled in an intensifying legal battle, with their respective legal teams clashing once again over a recent court filing. The ongoing dispute centers around allegations of defamation and a related subpoena, further complicating the already tense situation between the former colleagues.
New Legal Paperwork Filed
According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, a plaintiff identified as “Vanzan” submitted legal paperwork on September 27, 2024, targeting unnamed defendants. Deadline initially reported this development. The filing alleges an “ongoing campaign” aimed at damaging the Plaintiff’s business and reputation.
“This action arises from a continuous effort to harm Plaintiff’s business and Plaintiff’s public image,” the court documents state. “Defendants possess certain contractual and confidentiality obligations, alongside duties of good faith and loyalty to Plaintiff concerning Plaintiff’s business and reputation, arising from verbal promises and/or documented agreements.”
Baldoni’s Attorney Responds to Subpoena
In response to the previously undisclosed subpoena related to the lawsuit, Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, addressed the potential motivations and implications behind these legal actions.
“Ms. Lively’s and Mr. Reynolds’ company, Vanzan, had no involvement in this case, a fact they were fully aware of,” Freedman stated to Us Weekly on Monday, April 21. “This spurious lawsuit was crafted to improperly secure subpoena authority without proper oversight or judicial review, thereby preventing my clients from challenging the appropriateness, nature, and scope of the subpoena.”
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Freedman, who has a history of filing Doe lawsuits against unnamed defendants, asserted that “there is nothing conventional about this.” He emphasized that officers of the court “have a responsibility of honesty to the court and a requirement to abstain from filing fictitious lawsuits lacking factual or legal foundation.”
He concluded, “A party with no discernible connection to these proceedings asserting a breach of contract against another party they claim to be unable to identify is not justifiable. This action was taken in bad faith and represents a blatant abuse of legal procedures.”
Lively’s Legal Team Defends Actions
However, Lively’s attorneys, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, presented a contrasting perspective.
While acknowledging the Doe lawsuit, they contended that the legal filing served as the most effective method to investigate online harassment allegedly directed at Lively during the summer of 2024, coinciding with the release of It Ends With Us.
“There is nothing improper here—simply a diligent and comprehensive investigation,” Hudson and Gottlieb affirmed in a statement to Us Weekly. “The Lively parties acted on credible information and utilized standard legal tools such as Doe lawsuits and civil subpoenas, which are entirely lawful and suitable for pursuing claims and revealing the identities of unknown perpetrators of unlawful activities.”
From Lively’s legal team’s standpoint, the lawsuit “uncovered the Wayfarer Parties’ documented strategy—in their own words, within their own text messages—to ‘destroy’ Blake Lively, a plan they executed without transparency, disclosure, or notification to Ms. Lively or the public, acting in a manner they believed would be ‘untraceable.’ We have absolutely nothing to conceal—Ms. Lively voluntarily disclosed the subpoena in her initial filing, knowing it would ultimately be provided to the Wayfarer Parties during discovery, which is precisely what will occur as Ms. Lively’s claims advance through the appropriate litigation process.”
Background of the Legal Conflict
The legal sparring between Lively and Baldoni, who collaborated on It Ends With Us, originated in December 2024 when the Gossip Girl star accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and orchestrating a “smear campaign” against her.
In the same month, Baldoni initiated separate lawsuits against The New York Times, the first publication to report the allegations, and Lively, 37, alleging defamation, among other charges. (All parties involved have emphatically refuted all accusations leveled against them.)
Potential Trial Date and Settlement Outlook
Previously, Judge Lewis J. Liman scheduled a trial date for Baldoni and Lively’s case to commence in New York on March 9, 2026, should the co-stars fail to reach a settlement beforehand.
When questioned about the likelihood of an out-of-court resolution, Freedman indicated that the allegations are “a profoundly serious matter” and emphasized the significance of uncovering the truth.
“In the current climate, the only genuine recourse is to substantiate your innocence, and that is our active pursuit,” he explained on the March 12 episode of “The Town” podcast with host and former lawyer Matthew Belloni. “This may only be achievable within a courtroom setting.”