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A new development has emerged in the ongoing legal dispute between actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, as Lively's legal team forcefully responded to footage released from their controversial film "It Ends With Us." The video, published on January 21, 2025, was intended to refute Lively's sexual harassment allegations but has instead sparked further controversy.
Lively's attorneys issued a statement calling the released footage "damning," arguing that it substantiates their client's claims of inappropriate workplace behavior. The video shows Baldoni, who served as both director and co-star, engaging in what the legal team describes as unauthorized intimate actions, including "leaning in toward Ms. Lively, attempting to kiss her, kissing her forehead, rubbing his face and mouth against her neck."
The dispute originated from Lively's December 20 complaint, which alleged that Baldoni created a "hostile work environment" during the film's production. A crucial point of contention centers on Baldoni's dual role as director and co-star, which Lively's team argues created a power imbalance. "Mr. Baldoni was not only Ms. Lively's co-star but the director, the head of studio and Ms. Lively's boss," her lawyers emphasized.
The situation escalated when Baldoni filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, on January 16. His legal team, led by attorney Bryan Freedman, maintains that the scene in question was "designed to show the two characters falling in love" and that both actors behaved professionally within the scene's scope.
A particularly contentious element of the footage involves an exchange about Baldoni's nose, which his lawsuit claims showed Lively suggesting he should get plastic surgery. However, Lively's team characterizes her comments as attempts at "levity to try to deflect the unwanted touching."
The case has drawn significant attention to workplace conduct in Hollywood, particularly regarding the presence of intimacy coordinators. Lively's lawyers note that the interactions shown in the footage occurred "with no discussion or consent in advance, and no intimacy coordinator present."
As the legal battle continues, Baldoni's team has announced plans to launch a website containing "all correspondence as well as relevant videos that quash her claims." In response, Lively's attorneys condemned this as "another example of an unethical attempt to manipulate the (" and part of a "harassment and retaliatory campaign."
