Blake Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, have strongly reacted to Justin Baldoni, Lively’s co-star from It Ends with Us, after his legal team published private behind-the-scenes footage from the movie, which has sparked public debate.
A letter submitted on Tuesday to Judge Lewis J. Liman of the Southern District of New York included accusations from Lively and Reynolds’ attorneys. They claimed Baldoni and his legal representatives have continued what they called a pattern of harassment and retaliation. According to the letter, there have been regular public statements or media releases aimed at Lively, which they say are harmful and unnecessary.
This latest update follows the release of private footage showing a romantic scene between Lively and Baldoni from the film. Lively’s legal team sent an email strongly criticizing this release, labeling it as a publicity stunt. They claimed the clip was meant to support false impressions about Lively that had already been pushed in the press.
In December 2024, before the letter to the judge, the couple’s attorneys had already taken steps to stop Baldoni’s legal team from continuing public attacks. They sent a cease-and-desist letter to Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, asking him to avoid spreading misleading or damaging statements about Lively.
Around the same time, another letter was addressed to Baldoni and those working with him, urging them to stop all forms of conduct they believed to be unlawful toward both Lively and Reynolds.
The attorneys for the couple claim Freedman did not stop his public actions. They said Freedman has continued with TV interviews, podcast appearances, and written statements, while also feeding information to gossip outlets. They believe these moves are all connected to the same pattern of harassment first raised in their initial complaint.
They are now asking the court to issue an order that would place limits on what Freedman can say publicly about the matter. They are also requesting a court hearing to discuss how legal representatives should behave in this situation moving forward.
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Clip at the Center of the Dispute
The video that was released shows a nearly ten-minute scene between Lively and Baldoni. Their characters, Lily Bloom and Ryle Kincaid, are seen dancing slowly, a moment that was mentioned in Lively’s December complaint against Baldoni. That complaint eventually led to her filing a lawsuit in federal court.
Lively and Reynolds’ legal team also highlighted another development that they say shows the pressure being applied against them. They pointed to Freedman’s earlier announcement that a new website would be launched related to Baldoni’s lawsuit. That website is expected to host emails, video clips, and documents, which Baldoni’s team believes will challenge the claims made by Lively.
In response to these moves, the couple’s attorneys reminded Freedman that legal matters must be handled through proper court channels. They criticized his actions as unprofessional, arguing that he is trying to influence public opinion instead of following legal procedures.
They expressed concern that his efforts are likely to damage the fairness of future trials. They believe Freedman is targeting the character and credibility of several individuals involved, including Lively.
According to them, the information being shared publicly includes content that likely wouldn’t even be allowed in court as proper evidence, which raises the risk of unfair judgment not only for Lively but for others involved in these legal cases.
Court Battles Between Former Co-stars Continue
The situation between Baldoni and Lively reached another level when both of them filed lawsuits on New Year’s Eve. Lively’s case in federal court closely matches a previous filing in California. That earlier complaint was featured in a widely shared New York Times article titled “We Can Bury Anyone: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.”
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Lively has accused Baldoni of acting inappropriately in both personal and professional settings. She says he launched a coordinated effort to harm her reputation after she came forward to speak against his behavior.
Baldoni responded with his legal action. He filed a $250 million lawsuit that criticized how The New York Times reported Lively’s claims. His suit alleges that the publication used parts of conversations that were edited to give the wrong impression and left out context that could change their meaning.
In addition to that, Baldoni launched another legal challenge in January. This time, it was a $400 million federal lawsuit that named both Lively and Reynolds. In that case, Baldoni accused the couple of making false claims about him and attempting to blackmail him.
