Colleen Hoover’s “It Ends With Us” was a box hit when it premiered on August 9, 2024, rolling in earnings of over $200 million worldwide.[i]  However, in the subsequent two years after the film’s release, public discourse has shifted the conversation from film’s exploration of  domestic violence  to allegations of behind-the-scenes misconduct experienced by Blake Lively (“Lively”) at the hands of Justin Baldoni (“Baldoni”).

Four months after the release, Lively made a complaint to the California Civil Rights Department against Baldoni in which she claimed “Baldoni invaded her privacy by ‘entering her makeup trailer uninvited while she was undressed,’ pressured her to lose weight four months after giving birth and coordinated a PR [Public Relations] campaign with a crisis firm ‘designed to ‘destroy’ Ms. Lively’s reputation.’”[ii]  Then, on December 31, 2024, Lively filed her formal complaint with the District Court of the Southern District of New York against Baldoni alleging that he, along with his publicist and production studio, Wayfarer Studios, acted in retaliation against her after she made reports of Baldoni’s sexual harassment and overall unsafe workplace during production.[iii]  Baldoni responded by filing his own lawsuit, bringing a libel claim against The New York Times for publishing an article detailing Lively’s allegations titled, “‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.”[iv]  On February 18, 2025, Lively filed an Amended Complaint to include allegations that she was not the only woman who was uncomfortable around Baldoni while on set.[v]  Baldoni responded to Lively’s suit by countersuing her, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist for $400 million, alleging that they committed extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy.[vi]

In January 2024, Lively had a meeting with production members and stakeholders where “she laid out specific demands . . . to ensure a safe and professional working environment to which she says Baldoni and Wayfarer [Baldoni’s production company] agreed.”[vii]  Later in her complaint Lively claimed that following this meeting, Baldoni and his production company began a “‘social manipulation’ designed to ‘destroy’ Ms. Lively’s reputation.”[viii]  The Complaint further alleges that Steve Sarowitz, Wayfarer’s co-founder and co-chairman, told a witness “he was prepared to spend $100 million to ruin the lives of Ms. Lively and her family.”[ix]  In July 2024, Baldoni hired a crisis communication specialist to deal with the culminating feud between the two.  Melissa Nathan was tasked with putting a handle on Baldoni’s side of the story and “proposed the ‘creation of social fan engagement to go back and forth with any negative accounts, helping to change [sic] narrative and stay on track” while remaining “untraceable.”[x]  Lively claims that Baldoni’s legal and crisis PR team engaged in what is coined “astroturfing.”[xi]  The term is defined as “the attempt to create an impression of widespread grassroots support for a policy, individual, or product, where little such support exists. Multiple online identities and fake pressure groups are used to mislead the public into believing that the position of the astroturfer is the commonly held view.”[xii]

Women’s ability to have a safe workplace has been a hot topic for years.  In fact, a 2020 study by the National Women’s Law Center (“NWLC”) indicated that a staggering seven out of ten women who dealt with sexual harassment in their workplace had to also endure some form of retaliatory acts, which “[included] termination, being sued for defamation, and denial of promotions.”[xiii]  The study went on to state “more than half of the workers (56 percent) who identified their perpetrator said they were harassed by someone they reported to at work and nearly two in five (37 percent) said that nothing happened to their harasser.”[xiv]

Lively’s persistence in her case proves that she does not want to become a mere statistic.  In dealing with a hostile workplace, she has managed to remain firm in her belief that women deserve better.  Judge Limanhus far has seemed to agree that her claims have merit and has shut down Baldoni’s countersuit of extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy.[xv]  This case will become a landmark in shaping how women are viewed in the workplace and will hopefully curb the percentage of women who face retaliation from their abusers after bravely speaking out against abuse.  A decision for Lively will reinforce the importance of women’s workplace safety and their ability to speak up about harassment they face without fear of financial or social repercussions.  With Liman’s decision to dismiss Baldoni’s countersuit, this movement has already begun, as it indicates that “Lively’s requests for protections – like having safeguards on set and limits on inappropriate behavior – were legitimate workplace advocacy, not illegal extortion.”[xvi]  A decision for Baldoni would turn the clock back and perpetuate continued fear and silence amongst women facing harassment in the workplace.

With trial being set for May 18, 2026, it will be interesting to see if Judge Liman continues on his projection with siding with Lively.  Throughout the course of the lawsuit, Judge Liman had expressed his dissatisfaction and even coined the case as “a feud between PR firms.”[xvii]  The most recent development in the lawsuit is Baldoni’s filing of a motion for summary judgment against Lively.[xviii]  Judge Liman has yet to issue his ruling on it, but it will be critical in the continuance of the suit.  Given his history with the case, it seems that Judge Liman is interested in ascertaining the truth while attempting to drown out the noise by the ongoing media speculations.  Furthermore, as the case stands currently, it does not seem that Baldoni has met the immense burden of proving that there is no genuine issue of material fact.  But, who knows, will it end with Baldoni’s motion?

[i] See Jason Guerrasio, 3 Reasons ‘It Ends With Us’ Became a Box Office Hit Despite Blake Lively’s Controversy, Yahoo (Aug. 23, 2024), https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/3-reasons-ends-us-became-132711369.html [https://perma.cc/N52W-Y9JL].

[ii] See Mary Whitfill Roeloffs & Conor Murray, Baldoni Vs. Lively Feud: Explosive Texts Released Between Lively, Taylor Swift, Forbes (Jan. 22, 2026), https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2026/01/22/baldoni-vs-lively-feud-explosive-texts-released-between-lively-taylor-swift/ [https://perma.cc/BRA4-A29H].

[iii] Id.

[iv] Id.; see also Jonathan Stempel, Justin Baldoni Urges Judge To Toss Blake Lively’s Lawsuit, Reuters (Jan. 22, 2026), https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/justin-baldoni-seek-dismissal-blake-livelys-lawsuit-2026-01-22/ [https://perma.cc/W2QQ-HY4N].

[v] ABC News, Blake Lively Amends Her Lawsuit Against Justin Baldoni, Delta Radio (Feb. 19, 2025), https://www.deltaradio.net/entertainment/blake-lively-amends-her-lawsuit-against-justin-baldoni/ [https://perma.cc/4TLS-ZYKC].

[vi] See Mason Leib, Justin Baldoni’s $400m Countersuit Against Blake Lively Ended By Judge, ABC News (Nov. 3, 2025), https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/justin-baldonis-400m-countersuit-blake-lively-ended-judge/story?id=127134306 [https://perma.cc/4BMQ-GGYA].

[vii] See GMA Team, Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni’s ‘It Ends With Us’ Legal Battle: A Timeline, ABC News (Nov. 13, 2025), https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/blake-lively-justin-baldoni-legal-battle-timeline/story?id=117430951 [https://perma.cc/N3DD-A9QH].

[viii] Amended. Complaint For Sexual Harassment, Retaliation, Breach of Contract, False Light, Defamation, and Other Claims, Lively v. Wayfarer Studios, LLC. et al, No. 24-cv-10049-LJL, at 10 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 18, 2025). Dkt. No. 84.

[ix] Id.

[x] Id.

[xi] Id.

[xii] See Adam Bienkov, Astroturfing: What Is It and Why Does It Matter?, The Guardian (Feb. 8, 2012), https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/feb/08/what-is-astroturfing [https://perma.cc/L3YU-HPAD].

[xiii] Seventy-Two Percent of Workers Who Experienced Sex Harassment Faced Retaliation, Says New Report By NWLC Based On TIME’s UP Legal Defense Fund Data, Nat’l Women’s L. Ctr. (Oct. 15, 2020), https://nwlc.org/press-release/seventy-two-percent-of-workers-who-experienced-sex-harassment-faced-retaliation-says-new-report-by-nwlc-based-on-times-up-legal-defense-fund-data/ [https://perma.cc/B9EZ-ZBQ3].

[xiv] Id.

[xv] See Bernie Zilio, Justin Baldoni’s $400M Lawsuit Against Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds Comes To Dramatic Ending, Page Six (Nov. 3, 2025), https://pagesix.com/2025/11/03/celebrity-news/justin-baldonis-400m-countersuit-against-blake-lively-ryan-reynolds-officially-ended-by-judge/ [https://perma.cc/4LM5-X2XK] (“Justin Baldoni’s $400 million defamation and extortion countersuit against Blake Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, has been officially ended by the judge overseeing the case.”).

[xvi] See A Legal Victory for Survivors: Court Tosses Retaliatory Lawsuit Against Blake Lively, Sanctuary For Families, (June 13, 2025), https://sanctuaryforfamilies.org/blake-lively/ [https://perma.cc/Q46K-84H5].

[xvii] See Dominic Patten, Blake Lively Vs Justin Baldoni Battle Is “Feud Between PR Firms,” Judge Declares As Decision Punted Over What Material Lawyers Can Share, Deadline  (March 6, 2025), https://deadline.com/2025/03/blake-lively-justin-baldoni-judge-ruling-1236312564/ [https://perma.cc/57Q7-27JY].

[xviii] Mot. for Sum. J. 1, Lively v. Wayfarer Studios, LLC. et al, No. 24-cv-10049-LJL (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 12, 2025).