Blake Lively is continuing to slam It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni amid their raging legal war.

Lively and Baldoni have been locked in a court battle since December 2024 after she accused him of Sєxual harᴀssment and launching a ‘smear campaign’ against her.

He responded by filing a $400million defamation lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and Lively’s longtime publicist Leslie Sloane.

Baldoni also filed a $250 million libel lawsuit against the New York Times for its reporting on Lively’s claims. All parties have denied the allegations against them. 

And as Lively and Reynolds attempt to get Baldoni’s ‘retaliatory’ lawsuit thrown out, the actress’ legal team is hurling more accusations the 41-year-old actor’s way.

On Thursday, Lively, 37, accused Baldoni and his legal team of using ‘scorched earth litigation’ tactics to silence Sєxual harᴀssment accusers.

Blake Lively is continuing to slam It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni amid their raging legal war; Lively seen in March 2025

Lively and Baldoni have been locked in a court battle since December 2024 after she accused him of Sєxual harᴀssment and launching a ‘smear campaign’ against her 

In a statement to Us Weekly, Lively’s lawyers claimed that Baldoni is trying to ‘tear down’ California laws that were put in place to protect victims from being sued ‘into oblivion’ by their perpetrators. 

‘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 Sєxual ᴀssault, harᴀssment and discrimination,’ Lively’s team’s statement began.

Read More Tense Ryan Reynolds shows strain as he leaves NY alone amid Blake Lively’s ‘regret’ over Baldoni war

‘California’s Sєxual harᴀssment privilege, AB 933, was enacted to stop perpetrators of Sєxual harᴀssment from abusing defamation lawsuits to sue their accusers into oblivion.’

Team Lively continued: ‘The chilling message scorched earth litigation sends to victims is stay silent or be destroyed.’

Her attorneys then went on to mention the ‘reply brief’ that they filed Thursday on Lively’s behalf as part of her ongoing attempt to have Baldoni’s lawsuit dismissed.

‘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 Sєxual harᴀssment she experienced on set has not only failed miserably but exposes them to substantial economic damages,’ the statement continued. 

‘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.’

According to Thursday’s reply brief, which was also obtained by Us Weekly, Lively’s lawyers stated that Baldoni and the ‘Wayfarer Parties have tied themselves in knots trying to state a defamation claim against Ms. Lively that is not barred by the statute of limitations or wholly contained within her Legal Complaints, which they concede cannot form the basis of any actionable claims.’

Lively’s latest statement comes just days after insiders exclusively told DailyMail.com that she is now privately struggling with creeping ‘regret’ over her legal war with Baldoni.

Last week, Justin accused Blake of staging a PR stunt against him which he claimed was ‘designed to ruin the reputations and careers of the Wayfarer parties’ after she filed to dismiss his $400 million lawsuit on March 20.

In his recent filing, Baldoni stated he was ‘exercising’ his First Amendment right ‘to peтιтion the court to clear their names from her false and harmful claims.’

And as Lively attempt to get Baldoni’s ‘retaliatory’ lawsuit thrown out, the actress’ legal team is hurling more accusations the 41-year-old actor’s way; Baldoni seen in August 2024

On Thursday, Lively accused Baldoni and his legal team of using ‘scorched earth litigation’ tactics to silence Sєxual harᴀssment accusers; Lively seen in February 2025 

Blake’s attorneys Mike Gottlieb and Esra Hudson told TMZ last Friday: ‘That’s right: Justin Baldoni, the man who has built his brand on supposedly speaking up for victims, believes that the First Amendment rights of victims of Sєxual ᴀssault and harᴀssment to speak out should give way to the rights of perpetrators to sue their victims “into oblivion.”‘

Her legal team further stated that Baldoni and his lawyer Bryan Freedman are trying to ‘shed’ a law that protects victims and also prevents others from speaking out in the future.

In response, Freedman told DailyMail.com on Friday: ‘This convoluted statement makes it abundantly clear that Ms. Lively and team are rattled and once again resorting to making inflammatory remarks to steer focus away from the actual facts.

‘Clearly they want to divert the public’s attention from the receipts, the actual documents, video footage and additional evidence shown that make it irrefutable that there was no Sєxual harᴀssment.’

Freedman added it is ‘surprising that Ms. Lively and her team are suddenly speaking so pᴀssionately about the hard won rights of the survivor community, considering she sidestepped this topic for the entirety of the film campaign…

‘Focusing instead on her hair care and alcohol products which at that time caused the organic backlash that she received. She does not need discovery to find out who smeared her. Just a mirror will do.’

Justin’s attorney also recently told TMZ, ‘Ms. Lively and her circle of Hollywood elites cannot prevent my clients from exercising their consтιтutional right to peтιтion the court to clear their names from her false and harmful claims.’

Last year, Justin and Blake both starred in the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel It Ends With Us – which the actor also directed.

She went on to file a Sєxual harᴀssment lawsuit against Baldoni, who she also accused of orchestrating a ‘retaliation campaign,’ and he responded by suing Lively, Reynolds and Lively’s publicist Leslie Sloane for defamation.

The two stars have since been embroiled on ongoing legal drama as they prepare to go to court next year on March 9, 2026.

Last month, Lively, Reynolds and Sloane filed to dismiss Baldoni’s ‘vengeful and rambling’ lawsuit against them.

In a fiery statement, Reynolds slammed Baldoni as ‘thin-skinned’ while describing himself as a ‘supportive spouse’ to Lively.

And last Tuesday, April 1, the legal team representing Baldoni and the Wayfarer Studios parties called Reynolds Lively’s ‘co-conspirator’ as they asked Judge Lewis J. Liman to deny both the ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool star and his wife’s dismissal request.

Lively’s latest statement comes just days after insiders exclusively told DailyMail.com that she is now privately struggling with creeping ‘regret’ over her legal war with Baldoni 

According to PEOPLE, Baldoni’s lawyers claim in the legal docs that Reynolds ‘pretends that the Wayfarer Parties’ First Amended Complaint (the ‘FAC’) fails to set forth any basis for his liability and that he merely acted as a supportive spouse. Not so.

‘The FAC specifically alleges ample facts to support the Wayfarer Parties’ claims against him, based on both his direct actions and his liability as a co-conspirator.’

They’ve also suggested that Reynolds should not be able to recover attorneys fees from Baldoni in the ‘extremely unlikely event’ that he is dismissed from the lawsuit.

This comes after Lively’s attorneys stated in her March 20 dismissal filing that Wayfarer’s legal efforts against her could end up costing Baldoni’s team $100 million.

In an April 3 statement to DailyMail.com, a spokesperson for Reynolds responded to Baldoni’s latest legal move.

The spokesperson claimed that Baldoni and the Wayfarer Studios parties ‘finally realize the plain defects in their complaint,’ while calling the lawsuit ‘frivolous.’

They also told DailyMail.com that Reynolds will continue to standby his wife while reiterating Lively’s harᴀssment and retaliation allegations.

‘They once again claim defamation without alleging who was defamed, what specifically was said, or how anyone suffered actual harm.

‘Unlike Mr. Baldoni, who built his brand pretending to be a man who is ‘confident enough to listen’ to the women in his life, Ryan Reynolds actually is that man and he will continue to support his wife as she stands up to the individuals who not only harᴀssed her but then have retaliated against her.

‘Under New York law, California law, and indeed in every jurisdiction of the United States this lawsuit not only fails but may result in the Wayfarer Parties covering Ryan’s costs and attorneys’ fees for bringing such a frivolous case in the first place,’ the statement concluded.

Baldoni’s response to Lively’s dismissal filing was obtained by TMZ.

According to court docs obtained by the outlet last Thursday, Baldoni provided the judge with reasons as to why the Gossip Girl’s attempt to toss out his lawsuit should be denied.

Baldoni accused Lively of being the mastermind behind an elaborate smear campaign, which he claimed was ‘designed to ruin the reputations and careers of the Wayfarer parties.’

Baldoni claimed claims ‘there is sufficient evidence that [Lively] took a responsible part in publishing each of the allegedly defamatory statements by approving or authorizing them prior to publication.’

He also alleged that Lively ‘told the NYT a false and damning story about an insidious PR sabotage operation deployed as revenge for Sєxual harᴀssment complaints, with the knowledge and intent that the newspaper would publish that false story.’

Last week, Justin accused Blake of staging a PR stunt against him which he claimed was ‘designed to ruin the reputations and careers of the Wayfarer parties’ after she filed to dismiss his $400 million lawsuit on March 20; Baldoni seen in 2024 

In his recent filing, Baldoni stated he was ‘exercising’ his First Amendment right ‘to peтιтion the court to clear their names from [Lively’s] false and harmful claims’; Lively seen in 2024 

He continued to insist that Lively acted out of malice and accused her of actively trying to destroy his Hollywood career.

Freedman also informed TMZ, ‘What Ms. Lively is attempting to do is to set a dangerous precedent by barring the courthouse doors to my clients and punishing them for having their day in court, a right protected by the First Amendment.

‘This right protects not only Mr. Baldoni and the Wayfarer parties in this particular case, but all Americans in the future who have false accusations levied against them and seek relief from our justice system.’

He added, ‘This must stop here, and we will continue to fight against this blatant attempt to block access to the court system and to weaken our nation’s Consтιтution to serve those who are in the position of power.’

In court documents obtained by DailyMail.com, Lively’s attorneys slammed Baldoni’s ‘vengeful and rambling’ lawsuit as a ‘profound abuse of the legal process that has no place in federal court’ as they asked for all claims against her to be dropped on March 20.

In a shocking twist, the documents also state that Wayfarer’s legal efforts against Lively may end up costing Baldoni’s team $100 million due to a mandatory fee shifting provision in California Civil Code Section 47.1, which provides protections to individuals with claims of Sєxual harᴀssment and similar allegations.

In the introduction and summary of their argument, Lively’s legal team argues the lawsuit against her has ‘no place in federal court’ due to legal protections for individuals who have spoken out about Sєxual harᴀssment or filed legal claims.

Under the California law, communication by an individual making a claim – without malice – about Sєxual harᴀssment and similar matters is considered privileged communication.

Section 47.1 dictates that these individuals who prevail in a defamation lawsuit against them over the allegations will be awarded their attorney’s fees, punitive damages, and treble damages (an award three times what the jury decides to give the plaintiff). The law applies to those who had a ‘reasonable basis to file a complaint’ of harᴀssment and similar allegations, whether or not the complaint was filed.

The documents note that the ‘Wayfarer Parties’ – Baldoni’s studio – will be financially responsible for all of this should the defamation lawsuit be dismissed.

With this fee shifting provision in mind, the documents note that Steve Sarowitz, the co-founder of Wayfarer Studios, may end up forking over the $100 million he allegedly pledged to spend on litigation in a manner he did not intend.

‘Steve Sarowitz may indeed make good on his threat to spend “$100 million” litigating against Ms. Lively, but perhaps not in the way he planned.’

They said Wayfarer’s First Amendment Complaint – shortened to ‘FAC’ in the legal documents – relied on ‘implausible conjecture and conspiracy theories’ to make their case about Lively.

Lively’s legal team recently argued she did not act with ‘actual malice’ when making her claims about Baldoni, ‘a public figure subject to the actual malice standard’; Lively and Reynolds seen in August 2024

The legal fallout between Lively and Baldoni came after months of intense fan speculation of tension between the two during the promotion of the film, with the duo not posing together at the premiere and doing press separately 

Lively’s legal team called the FAC a ‘blunt public relations instrument’ intended to ‘bury’ and destroy’ Lively for speaking up about her claims.

In the documents, Lively’s legal team argue she did not act with ‘actual malice’ when making her claims about Baldoni, ‘a public figure subject to the actual malice standard’.

They state Wayfarer’s FAC ‘confirms’ Lively reported her claims and sincerely believed them to be true.

The documents also said Wayfarer failed to demonstrate that Lively doubted the truthfulness of her allegations.

Additionally, it cites an alleged text conversation between Justin and his crisis publicist Melissa Nathan in which they agreed Lively truly believed she was right.

The filing also says the FAC fails to demonstrate Lively and her team were all conspiring against Wayfarer.

It also adds that alleged coordination between Lively and The New York Times – whose article about Lively’s original complaint sparked a lawsuit from Baldoni – was ‘not wrongful as a matter of law.’

They also allege that their documents failed to ‘allege that Ms. Lively wrongfully interfered with any contract or economic relationship.’

This references Wayfarer and Baldoni being dropped by talent agency WME following the filing of Lively’s claims.

They state the documents lack evidence showing Lively did anything to destroy the relationship, and that the only ‘specific allegations’ were surrounding her husband, who allegedly referred to Baldoni a ‘Sєxual predator’ in conversation with a WME executive.

They also claim Wayfarer did not state any damages related to their extortion claims.

The lawsuit concluded by asking the court to ‘dismiss all claims against Ms. Lively with prejudice, deny leave to amend, and award Ms. Lively all relief sought.’

Baldoni and his company Wayfarer Studios filed the $400M lawsuit in January. His studio’s chief executive Jamey Heath, It Ends With Us Movie LLC, and publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel were also listed as plaintiffs, according to NPR.

The legal fallout between Lively and Baldoni came after months of intense fan speculation of tension between the two during the promotion of the film, with the duo not posing together at the premiere and doing press separately.