'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On May 9, 2025, journalist Perez Hilton shared his insights on remarks made by actress Blake Lively's attorney, Mike Gottlieb, concerning key witnesses in the legal feud between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. In an exclusive interview with People Magazine (published on May 8), Mike Gottlieb claimed that Lively will be testifying in the March 9, 2026 trial.
The attorney said:
"The ultimate moment for a plaintiff's story to be told is at trial."
He further highlighted that Livley won't be the only person testifying, noting that individuals who witnessed or experienced misconduct relevant to Blake Lively's claims will also appear in court.
"We expect their testimony, particularly about what took place on set, will come out through live witness testimony," Gottlieb added.
Trending
Reflecting on Gottlieb's claims, Perez Hilton remarked in a video released on his YouTube channel:
"That could be really damning for him [Justin Baldoni]... And maybe maybe she [Blake Lively] will come out victorious."
Perez explained that if multiple witnesses come forward in court and share consistent stories about Justin Baldoni committing serious misconduct, then a jury might believe Blake Lively's allegations against Baldoni. Hilton also shared that he initially felt sympathetic towards Lively when she filed her complaint.
"When she filed her first initial complaint, even before the lawsuit, I said Wow, if she's putting this all to paper, she has to have people that are willing to testify to this in court, and her lawyer has just said she does," Perez Hilton said.
Perez Hilton claims documents from Sony Pictures have been "damning" for Blake Lively
Further in his interview with People Magazine, Mike Gottlieb claimed that documents related to the legal dispute from Sony Pictures, the production company behind the 2024 film It Ends With Us, and other witnesses will be presented in court.
Reflecting on Gottlieb's remarks, Perez stated:
"I have read every document in all of this saga thus far. And up until now most of the documents from Sony Pictures have been very damning for her [Blake Lively]."
Gottlieb also stated in the interview that the public conversation surrounding the legal battle has shifted away from the legal issues, as Justin Baldoni's side allegedly launched a "retaliation campaign" against Blake Lively.
He expressed that they hope to focus on the case's "core part," adding, "which is that this retaliation campaign was launched against Ms. Lively for her having raised concerns about sexual harassment."
Perez Hilton expressed skepticism towards Mark's remarks. The journalist stated that the Jane the Virgin actor's team has "receipts" that Lively's team launched a "retaliation campaign" against him.
"where are her receipts? I haven't seen them... And even if she does provide them, he's got receipts that her team is guilty of the same thing also, so they cancel each other out, right?" Perez continued.
In the same interview with People Magazine, Gottlieb slammed Baldoni's team for claiming they would subpoena Taylor Swift and Hugh Jackman.
"It’s completely unclear what claims or defenses in the case any of these celebrities… have any relevance to at all. This is a case about what happened to Blake Lively when she raised claims of sexual harassment on the set. It’s not a case about how songs were chosen for the movie. It’s not a case about fictional Marvel characters in Deadpool movies."
He labeled their attempt to subpoena high-profile celebrities a PR stunt, adding that the federal courts "don't tolerate that kind of behavior."
Meanwhile, Justin Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman, countered Mike Gottlieb's claims in a statement to the same outlet. Freedman insisted that the evidence speaks for itself, through "unedited receipts, documents, and real-life footage."
He claimed that Blake allegedly brought her "friends" into the case, "without concern for their own personal or public backlash." Freedman particularly pointed to the Bad Blood singer's involvement in the case.
"As the truth shows, she used her Dragons to manipulate Justin at every turn," Freedman said.
The "dragon" comment stems from Justin Baldoni's lawsuit filed on December 31, 2024. It alleges that Blake, Taylor, and Ryan pressured Baldoni to change the script of the now-infamous rooftop scene in It Ends With Us.
During a meeting at Blake's New York penthouse, she reportedly called herself the Game of Thrones character Khaleesi and called Taylor Swift and Ryan her "dragons." This allegedly pressured Baldoni to change the scene to meet Lively's vision.
Bryan Freedman further claimed that Ryan Reynolds' involvement in the legal dispute is "very well documented," adding that they "continue to discover more intentional misconduct."
He questioned whether Disney intentionally allowed Ryan to use the company's shareholder revenues, "to further a personal grudge," with Baldoni.
"I would be surprised to learn that this type of corporate waste would not lead to much more exposure for those that have been complicit in affecting shareholder revenue," Bryan Freedman said.
Blake Lively filed a lawsuit against It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni and others related to the film on December 20, 2024, for s*xual assault and orchestrating a smear campaign to "bury" her reputation. In response, on January 16, 2025, Justin Baldoni filed a $400 million lawsuit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds for civil extortion and defamation.
Before this, on December 31, 2025, he filed a separate $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times. The outlet had published an article titled We Can Bury Anyone: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine. The article contained text messages between Baldoni and his team, suggesting they plotted against Lively to "bury" her reputation.
Baldoni accused The New York Times of presenting "cherry-picked" information and taking out-of-context messages.
The trial is scheduled for March 9, 2026, following the ongoing legal back-and-forth between the It Ends With Us stars.
