Everything that happened in their legal drama

After the huge success of Colleen Hoover’s novel, It ends with usthe film adaptation starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni was expected to be a BookTok success story, with hopes for a sequel before the film’s release.

But rumors of tension between Baldoni and Lively began to circulate during the film’s press tour in August 2024, when Baldoni was conspicuously absent from key promotional events and observers noted that the pair were not photographed together at premieres – particularly in the high-profile New York City. premieres on August 6.

At the same time, criticism of Lively’s promotional efforts grew online. Fans accused Lively of downplaying the film’s heavy themes of domestic violence with cheerful interviews that focused on her hair care line and plugs for her alcohol brand. Some also pointed out moments during press conferences where she came across as insensitive when discussing the film’s dark subject matter.

During an interview with Yahoo Entertainment in August, Lively appeared to ask questions about working with Baldoni, instead describing her role as a “challenging experience.”

Baldoni also faced his share of criticism. Reports surfaced claiming he created an uncomfortable working environment during production, with claims he made inappropriate comments about Lively’s weight to an attending trainer before filming a lifting scene. Fans criticized Baldoni’s decision to hire a PR crisis manager a few days after the film’s premiere, with some seeing it as an attempt to control the story as tensions between the co-stars became more public.

Despite the off-screen controversies, It ends with us – which follows the story of a florist (Lively) trapped in an abusive relationship with a neurosurgeon (Baldoni) – grossed $351 million worldwide and secured a spot on Netflix’s global charts.

Their tensions came to a head starting in December 2024, when legal filings from both parties revealed an even deeper rift between the two stars.

Here’s a closer look at how the legal battle unfolded — from Lively’s first harassment complaint to Baldoni’s latest lawsuit.

December 20, 2024

Lively is taking legal action

Lively has filed a legal complaint in California alleging inappropriate and intimidating behavior by Baldoni and co-producer Jamey Heath on set.

Lively alleged in the complaint that Baldoni repeatedly overstepped her personal boundaries, including walking into her trailer unannounced while she was breastfeeding and making comments about her weight. She also accused Heath of showing Lively a video of his wife in labor, pressuring her to simulate full nudity in a birth scene, and watching her while she was topless and had body makeup removed.

Lively further alleged in the complaint that Baldoni’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, failed to enforce the safeguards set forth in a side letter to her contract, which included provisions for a full-time intimacy coordinator on set, along with guarantees to prevent retaliation for reporting harassment. However, Lively claimed that these measures were inadequately enforced or ignored altogether. (In August, she told Digital Spy that it was “critical to have an intimacy coordinator” on set.)

Read more: A timeline of events leading up to Lively’s complaint

December 21

The New York Times story breaks

The Times published a story, “We Can Bury Anyone: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine,” detailing the sexual harassment Lively claims she suffered from Baldoni and others during filming It ends with us.

“I hope my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak out about wrongdoing and help protect others who may be targeted,” Lively told the outlet.

December 31st

Lively sues Baldoni

Lively sued Baldoni, his PR team and film studio in a federal court in New York City for retaliation for her harassment allegations.

In the lawsuit, Lively repeated allegations from her California complaint, including how Baldoni’s PR team allegedly orchestrated a smear campaign against her during the film’s press tour. The negative backlash she faced during the promotional tour, Lively argued, was the result of Baldoni’s retaliatory attempts.

Baldoni hits back at the Times

That same day, Baldoni filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against the New York Times over their December 20 story.

In a statement to Variety, Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman said the Times “croached to the wishes and whims of two powerful ‘untouchable’ Hollywood elites, disregarding journalistic practices and ethics that once belonged to the respected publication by publishing falsified and manipulated texts. and deliberately use texts that question their chosen PR narrative.”

In a statement, the Times said it plans to “vigorously defend the lawsuit” against them.

“The role of an independent news organization is to follow the facts where they lead,” the statement said. “Our story was reported carefully and responsibly. It was based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails that we quote accurately and extensively in the article.

Read more: Baldoni’s case against the Times

Read more: Baldoni and Lively’s competing lawsuits

January 16

Baldoni is suing Lively, Ryan Reynolds and others for $400 million

Baldoni, who had previously hinted at more legal action, filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, the actress’ publicist Leslie Sloan and the couple’s publicity agency Vision PR. As outlined in a 179-page lawsuit filed by Baldoni’s attorney in New York, Baldoni is suing Lively, Reynolds and Sloan for:

• False light invasion of privacy

• Breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing

• Intentional interference with contractual relations

• Intentional interference with future economic benefit

• Negligent interference with future economic advantage

More specifically, Baldoni claims that Lively and her team orchestrated a smear campaign to tarnish his reputation and gain creative control over the film. The director also disputes Lively’s claims of harassment, calling them a “gross misrepresentation” of their working relationship. The text messages included in the filing attempt to show that the couple has a “close and friendly” relationship.

One of the most notable claims concerns the alleged pressure Baldoni received from Reynolds and a “mega-famous friend” of the couple, believed to be Taylor Swift, to rewrite a crucial rooftop scene. In interviews, Lively has publicly credited Reynolds with writing it.

Furthermore, Baldoni claims that Lively undermined the film’s production from the start – including clothing requirements and refusal to work with the film’s partner domestic violence organization, and instead embarked on what he describes as a “tone deaf” press tour that alienated fans.

In a statement to Yahoo Entertainment, Lively’s legal team called Baldoni’s lawsuit “a new chapter in the abuse manual.”

“They are attempting to shift the narrative to Ms. Lively by falsely claiming that she has taken creative control and alienated the cast from Mr. Baldoni,” they said, explaining that the evidence will show that “the cast and others had their own negative experiences. ‘ with Baldoni.

The statement continued: “Their response to sexual harassment allegations: she wanted it, it’s her fault. Their justification for why this happened to her: Look what she was wearing. In short, while the victim focuses on the abuse, the abuser focuses on the victim. The strategy to attack the woman is desperate, it does not rebut the evidence in Ms. Lively’s complaint and will fail.”

Read more: Baldoni’s complaint against Lively and his key players.