What was supposed to be a hit movie took a wrong turn as Blake Lively sued Justin Baldoni, It Ends With Us co-star, for sexual harassment and launching a smear campaign against her.
The lawsuit turned into a cat-and-mouse chase as Baldoni sued Lively back for defamation and extortion. His latest move? Creating a new website with the amended complaint and details concerning the case. Why is that, though?
More about the website
Baldoni and his team created the website on February 1 in an attempt to fortify his claims against Lively. The timing is interesting as there is a pre-trial conference on February 3 to address Lively’s request for a gag order.
A legal expert weighs in
Legal expert Gregory Doll, a lawyer and partner at Doll Amir & Eley, told People that Lively’s request for a gag order could be an attempt to prevent Baldoni from doing exactly what he’s done, influencing people’s perspectives before the trial.
Lively wants to prevent talking about the case publicly
“One of the issues raised in the letter briefs for Monday seeking to prevent Baldoni’s attorney from speaking about the case publicly is his stated intention to launch this very type of website,” Doll explained to People after the site’s launch.
The website’s content
The website has two buttons, one linking to the amended version of the complaint filed by Baldoni and five other plaintiffs, and the other linking to the “Timeline of Relevant Events.”
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It consists of a 168-page “timeline” exhibiting texts, emails, and more correspondences – some of which were made public for the first time – to explain Baldoni’s point of view.
The aim behind this move
With Baldoni and his team pulling this stunt prior to the gag order pre-trial conference, they have ensured that their voices are heard despite Lively’s attempts at shushing them with the gag order, potentially sending Lively’s attempts down the drain.
Making the website is a smart move
Doll explains how making the website is a smart move, saying:
“It gets the website content out to the public before there is any order preventing Baldoni’s counsel from doing so; and two, it may persuade the judge that there is no reason to enter any type of gag order against Baldoni’s counsel because the info is already in the public domain anyway.”
It all started in December 2024
Fans were speculating for months that there was tension between the two leads.
The rumors were confirmed in December 2024 when Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios for sexual harassment and allegedly launching a smear campaign against her.
Baldoni fired back
Baldoni countersued Lively for defamation and extortion, denying the sexual harassment allegations. He not only sued Lively but also her husband, Ryan Reynolds, publicist Leslie Sloane, in addition to Sloane’s PR firm Vision PR, Inc.
A judge scheduled the trial
Judge Lewis J. Liman scheduled both cases in Lively v. Wayfarer Studios et al. for trial on March 9, 2026, in an order filed on Monday, January 27.
Lively and her team asked Liman to address “the appropriate conduct of counsel” after Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, released footage from the movie’s set, attempting to refute some of Lively’s claims.
Baldoni’s other attorney intervened
Attorney Kevin Fritz dubbed Lively’s move an “intimidation tactic” in a January 23 letter. He asked Judge Liman to reject Lively and her team’s gag order requests.
Furthermore, Fritz claimed that Lively “initiated” a “media feeding frenzy” by sharing a copy of her initial complaint to The New York Times.
