Blake Lively’s legal team has criticised Justin Baldoni’s “scorched earth" approach

It Ends With Us continues to make headlines, with producer Blake Lively and director Justin Baldoni locked in a legal battle.

Lively, 37, took legal action against her director and former co-star in December 2024, accusing Baldoni, 41, of sexual harassment and for allegedly coordinating a smear campaign against her.

In a statement released to The Times, Lively explained that she hopes her "legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct." And that she hopes her actions will help "protect others who may be targeted.”

Baldoni, 41, has denied the allegations, with his representatives calling them "categorically false", and a "desperate attempt to ‘fix’ her negative reputation which was garnered from her own remarks and actions during the campaign for the film."

Baldoni has since filed a $400 million lawsuit against Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and Lively's publicist, Leslie Sloane - suing the trio for defamation.

This week, as the legal drama continues, with a trial officially set for March 2026, Lively's legal team has released a new statement.

Lively's lawyers, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, shared the statement to Us Weekly just days ago, criticising Baldoni's alleged "scorched-earth" approach.

"Mr. Baldoni has gone from monetizing a brand devoted to believing and supporting women, to leading the charge to tear down the very law that protects women who come forward about sexual assault, harassment and discrimination," read their statement to Us Weekly. "California’s sexual harassment privilege, AB 933, was enacted to stop perpetrators of sexual harassment from abusing defamation lawsuits to sue their accusers into oblivion."

The statement continues: "The chilling message scorched earth litigation sends to victims is stay silent or be destroyed. As demonstrated in the reply brief Ms. Lively filed today, the Wayfarer Parties’ attempt to slap Ms. Lively with a retaliatory lawsuit for her decision to speak out against the sexual harassment she experienced on set has not only failed miserably but exposes them to substantial economic damages. Ms. Lively will continue to show all victims that they are not alone, that they do not have to stay silent, and that the law is on their side."

We will continue to update this story.