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The heat is on, and it’s only getting hotter. Blake Lively is finding herself in the center of a fierce legal storm, as shocking new details from It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni’s ongoing lawsuit begin to surface.

The legal battle between Lively and Baldoni has been brewing since August 2024, following their collaboration in the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel. During the film’s press tour, eagle-eyed fans started to sense tension between the two stars. With both staying mute, social media users flocked to Instagram and TikTok, trying to piece together the story behind their awkward interactions. Theories started to swirl, many suggesting that Lively was the source of the drama—accused of failing to inform audiences about the movie’s explicit content.

Things took a turn when Lively struck back on December 31, 2024, filing a bombshell 80-page lawsuit against Baldoni. In her claim, Lively accuses Baldoni of orchestrating a malicious smear campaign and, shockingly, sexual assault. She alleges disturbing incidents that occurred on set, including Baldoni reportedly entering her dressing room while she was undressed and kissing her without consent in the absence of an intimacy coordinator.

As Lively’s legal action hit the media, fans rallied in support of the actress, with many of her colleagues, including Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants co-star America Ferrera, speaking out. The legal ramifications were swift. Baldoni was dropped by his management, had awards rescinded, and remained silent on the accusations for weeks. But on January 16, 2025, Baldoni and his team hit back with a 179-page countersuit, which not only counters Lively’s claims but also targets her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, and her publicist, Leslie Sloane. The counterclaim includes allegations of defamation, extortion, and multiple contractual violations related to It Ends With Us—and Baldoni’s team came prepared with substantial evidence.

But hold on—it’s about to get even more complicated. Fans quickly pointed out that some of the evidence in Lively’s lawsuit appeared to raise questions. Allegations of doctored text messages and misleading representations of key facts began circulating online, especially on TikTok, where users of color have voiced concerns about potential patterns of white women misrepresenting the truth for personal gain.

Now, as the legal drama intensifies, neither party is backing down. Lively’s legal team has described Baldoni’s countersuit as a “desperate” move straight out of the “abuser’s playbook.” On the flip side, Baldoni’s attorneys assert that Lively is in for a fight she “will not win and will certainly regret.”

As this high-profile legal battle rages on, it’s clear that the fallout from this case will not only have repercussions for the stars involved but could reshape the way Hollywood handles both legal matters and on-set behavior.

Stay tuned—this saga is far from over.

 

Written By: Kahlia Grimes

Photo Credit: It Ends With Us film