Behind-the-scenes Hollywood feuds are nothing new, but Blake Lively
and Justin Baldoni’s fiery clash over It Ends With Us
is quickly becoming one of the juiciest. What began as a smooth collaboration has exploded into a full-blown circus, packed with jaw-dropping accusations, manipulation in the press, and a Hollywood supremacy battle for survival. What started as whispers and blockbuster-worthy rumors have morphed into a high-stakes soap opera, with every twist more dramatic than the last.
With each new development fanning the flame, insiders and devotees alike can not help but wonder—how long will this feud go on for before the curtain comes down? Now, with a lawsuit in the frame, the stakes are higher than ever.
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds seek dismissal of defamation lawsuit
In a significant development, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds
have formally moved legally to challenge Justin Baldoni’s $400 million defamation case in court. On Thursday, their attorney, Michael Gottlieb, filed a brief statement with Judge Lewis Liman, stating that the couple plans to move to dismiss the plaintiff’s complaint, as per Deadline.
The court case began when Blake Lively filed a sexual harassment case with California’s Department of Civil Rights on December 20. She accused Justin Baldoni, producer and co-star of It Ends With Us
, with improper conduct during shootings and of conspiring for a retaliatory smear campaign when she spoke out.
As the allegations hit the headlines, the drama escalated, with both sides standing firm. What followed was a storm of legal battles, media spins, and rising tensions.
Justin Baldoni’s legal counterattack and industry repercussions
Justin Baldoni did not sit idly and let such claims go unchallenged. His representatives, appearing in court through attorney Bryan Freedman, have been most vocal in defending Baldoni’s integrity. Freedman told Deadline that all these motions to dismiss are simply another attempt by Lively, Reynolds, and Leslie Sloan to hide and delay the discovery of the hundreds of pages of true facts and well-documented information.
The stakes are remarkably high, with multiple lawsuits in play. Besides Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ $400 million defamation suit, Baldoni sued a $250 million lawsuit in a different case for a matter with The New York Times. Things have got so muddled that Judge Liman has moved up the February 12 pretrial conference to February 3, specifically with Lively and Reynolds’ representatives requesting sanction for Bryan Freedman’s “extrajudicial statements
.” While Lively and Reynolds seem unfazed, as was seen in their recent public appearance,
the entertainment world is glued to the action, wondering if there’s ever going to be an “us” left in this story.
As this high-profile drama plays out in court and the media, what do you think about Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ effort to toss out Justin Baldoni’s defamation lawsuit? Let us know in the comments below.
