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Actress Blake Lively filed an amended lawsuit against her It Ends With Us director and co-star Justin Baldoni in the New York Federal Court on February 18. According to USA Today, the lawsuit states that Lively was “not alone in complaining about” the filmmaker. It includes accounts from two other female cast members who allegedly experienced similar s*xual harassment from Baldoni.
The civil suit, as reviewed by the outlet, accuses Justin of making inappropriate comments and causing the other two women to feel "one million percent uncomfortable” on the movie set. He reportedly referred to them as "sexy" during conversations that were not part of the script.
"You can't speak to people s*xually while not in character or while talking about a character," Lively responded to one of her female co-stars via text when she reportedly heard of her "growing concerns over the conditions on set."
According to the court documents, the unnamed actresses are prepared to testify against Baldoni. They aren’t directly named to protect them from the "cyberbullying and threats" previously faced by Blake Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, and others involved in the ongoing legal battle. Jenny Slate, Amy Morton, Robin S. Walker, and Isabela Ferrer played significant female supporting roles in the film.
Notably, the amended lawsuit includes screenshots of text exchanges between Lively and a mutual female friend of Baldoni and co-producer Jamey Heath. In one message dated May 24, 2023, Blake confided in this woman:
“I was gonna invite you to set tomorrow. These people. Whoa … It’s like HR nuts today. The both of them. I wasn’t expecting that turn. I mean it’s been present but today I came home and cried.”
In another one, the Gossip Girl alum called Baldoni and Heath “creeps” who didn’t know how to keep their “hormones” to themselves.
“This is not mine. I don’t want it. I don’t want you [sic] gaze or words or tongue or videos of your n*ked wife. Yeah. It’s shocking. Clowns,” she added.
Elsewhere, Blake Lively’s amended lawsuit alleges that Wayfarer co-founder, billionaire, and co-producer Steve Sarowitz told one of the women that he would “protect the studio like Israel protected itself from Hamas,” adding that there were “39,000 dead bodies.”
“There will be two dead bodies when I’m done. Minimum. Not dead, but you’re dead to me. So, that kind of dead. But dead to a lot of people,” Sarowitz allegedly said.
In her original lawsuit, Blake Lively claimed that Steve admitted to telling a third party he was ready to “spend $100 million” to “ruin the lives” of the actress and her family.
More about Blake Lively’s amended lawsuit against Justin Baldoni
According to Blake Lively’s amended lawsuit filed on Tuesday, the two unnamed actresses are not only prepared to testify against Justin Baldoni but also his co-defendant, Jamey Heath, who is the President of Wayfarer Studios and a co-producer.
The over 100-page suit references interactions between Blake Lively and her female co-stars regarding Justin’s alleged inappropriate behavior and unwanted s*xual comments. It also accuses Baldoni and his team of running a smear campaign against Lively and the two unnamed actresses.
Reportedly, both expressed concern while facing online criticism during the movie’s press tour and asked Blake how to handle the “onslaught” of social media hatred.
“Importantly, however, these victim-witnesses have given Ms. Lively permission to share their communications in the Amended Complaint as they are laid out, and they will testify and produce documents in the discovery process,” said a spokesperson for Blake to Hollywood Reporter.
As per the latest court documents, Blake Lively and another female co-star complained to Sony executive Ange Gianetti about Baldoni and Heath’s unwelcome behavior. Reportedly, Justin acknowledged his alleged misdeeds in writing at that time and reached out to the women. However, "no actions" were taken to investigate the matter, nor were any "protections" implemented.
"I know I find it hard to speak to him. I try to cover it with busyness but not sure that covers what's going on," Lively seemingly told her fellow actress about Baldoni.
The updated suit also alleges that Justin seemingly attempted to “shift the focus” of marketing from a “message of female triumph” to one of “female trauma," contradicting the original plan. Texas-based contractor and publicist Jed Wallace has also been named in the amended lawsuit and is accused of assisting Baldoni and others in running a smear campaign against the film’s actresses.
Notably, Jed Wallace is countersuing Blake Lively for $7 million, claiming defamation. Additionally, Tuesday’s filing reveals the “emotional impact” the legal battle has had on her and her family, including her husband and four kids, which involves restrictions on their public appearances. The legal filing further claims that Wayfarer launched an HR investigation last month.
In response to the amended lawsuit, Justin Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, told the press in a statement:
“Our clients have been transparent in providing receipts, real time documents and video showing a completely different story than what has been manipulated and cherry picked to the media. Our clients have taken this matter and these issues very seriously notwithstanding the jokes made publicly by the plaintiff and her husband.”
The lawyers added,
“Her underwhelming amended complaint is filled with unsubstantial hearsay of unnamed persons who are clearly no longer willing to come forward or publicly support her claims. Since documents do not lie and people do, the upcoming depositions of those who initially supported Ms. Live’s false claims and those who are witnesses to her own behaviour will be enlightening. What is truly uncomfortable here is Ms. Lively’s lack of actual evidence.”
Meanwhile, Blake Lively’s legal team, comprising Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, shared in a public statement on Wednesday:
"Ms. Lively has filed an amended complaint today that provides significant additional evidence and corroboration of her original claims... The complaint includes significant contemporaneous evidence that Ms. Lively was not alone in raising allegations of on-set misconduct more than a year before the film was edited."
The duo mentioned previously undisclosed evidence, including communications between the plaintiff and other witnesses, representatives of Sony and Wayfarer Studios, and unseen emails and text messages detailing threats, harassment, and intimidation. They added that the new "witnesses" and "innocent bystanders" validate Blake Lively’s case.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's trial date is set for March 2026
Earlier, on December 20, 2024, Blake Lively made her original complaint with the California Civil Rights Department, accusing Justin Baldoni of s*xual harassment, creating a “hostile work environment,” and reportedly exhibiting “disturbing” and “unprofessional” behavior on the set of It Ends With Us. She also accused him of running a smear campaign against her with the help of Jamey Heath, publicist Jennifer Abel, and crisis manager Melissa Nathan.
On December 31, 2024, Blake Lively filed a civil suit against the team, doubling down on the same accusations and claiming that her alleged experiences resulted in “grief, fear, trauma, and extreme anxiety.”
Less than two weeks later, Justin Baldoni countersued Blake Lively for $400 million, naming three others as co-defendants, including Ryan Reynolds, their publicist Leslie Sloane, and her PR firm Vision PR, Inc. Although the legal filing mentioned the couple’s close friend, Taylor Swift, she was not named as a defendant.
Baldoni’s lawsuit accused Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds of seemingly trying to “gain control” of the movie. The Jane the Virgin alum’s other complaints included civil extortion, defamation, false light invasion of privacy, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, intentional interference with contractual relations, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage, and negligent interference with prospective economic advantage.
Last week, after months of legal battles and controversy, both parties opted not to settle the lawsuits, stating it would be “inappropriate” and “premature” at this juncture. A trial date has been set for March 9, 2026.
