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Blake Lively's legal team has filed a motion seeking sanctions in the form of attorneys' fees and costs against Justin Baldoni's legal team. All plaintiffs, including producers Jamey Heath and Steve Sarowitz, along with publicists Melissa Nathan, Jennifer Abel, and their lawyers, have also been named in the motion.
On May 19, 2025, Lively's lawyers filed the motion, accusing the plaintiffs of making "frivolous" and "baseless" claims against the actress. This motion was filed after Justin Baldoni's chief attorney, Bryan Freedman, alleged in a legal letter that Lively was blackmailing Taylor Swift to release her texts if she did not support her publicly. The motion stated:
"In their Notice of Motion, Lively’s attorneys state that “The [M]otion seeks sanctions in the form of attorneys’ fees and costs that Ms. Lively incurred, and (...) a formal reprimand, and any sanctions that the Court deems just and proper.
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"Plaintiffs’ Counsel acted willfully with the intent of harassing Ms. Lively, causing unnecessary delay, and increasing the cost of litigation."
Blake Lively's team also accused Bryan Freedman of making a "ghoulish taunt" against their client. They further highlighted that Justin Baldoni's team "filed two letters and an affidavit so inflammatory and improper that they were stricken from the record."
They were referring to the judge dismissing Freedman's claims that Lively had blackmailed her long-time friend, Taylor Swift. The attorneys added that the "federal courts" are "venues for the adjudication of justice" and not "playgrounds for retribution or public relations."
Blake Lively's lawyers respond to Justin Baldoni's legal team, accusing the actress of blackmailing Taylor Swift
On May 15, Justin Baldoni's chief lawyer, Bryan Freedman, accused Blake Lively of threatening singer Taylor Swift of releasing her private text messages if she did not make a public statement in support of her.
"If Ms. Swift failed to do so [release a statement supporting Lively], Ms. Lively would release "ten years" of private texts with Ms. Swift. The individual also told me that they had been informed that Mr. Baldridge had accused Mr. Gottlieb of extortion and ended the call," Freedman said.
Furthermore, he explained that his team had subpoenaed Swift and the law firm representing her, Venable LLP, to obtain such communications. Freedman also claimed that a source very close to Taylor Swift had confirmed the information to him, and he had several phone calls with the said source.
"On February 14, 2025, I received a voicemail from a person very closely linked to Taylor Swift, whom I subsequently called back the same day. Out of respect for the individual in question, I am not identifying them at this time; however, should the Court direct me to do so, I will comply with the Court's order," Freedman added.
On May 19, Blake Lively's lawyers, Esra Hudson and Michael Gottlieb, accused Justin Baldoni's legal team of pulling off an "inflammatory and defamatory media stunt." In their statement, they added that the plaintiffs would now face the "consequences" of "treating federal court like a media playground." In their official statement given to PEOPLE, they said:
"If you want to know why Justin Baldoni’s lawyer pulled his latest inflammatory and defamatory media stunt, it might be because he knew that both he and his clients were about to be hit with sanctions motions based on his reckless decision to file multiple frivolous claims in federal court.
"You can’t file lawsuits in federal court that have no basis in law or fact to create a harassing media narrative, or in other words, their strategy from day one. The Baldoni legal team received notice of their sanctionable behavior weeks ago, but doubled down rather than withdrawing their frivolous and harassing claims. Now they’ll face the consequences of treating federal court like a media playground."
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively's legal battle began in December 2024, when Lively accused her It Ends With Us co-star of sexual harassment, inappropriate workplace conduct, and conducting a smear campaign to tarnish her reputation. Subsequently, an article was published in The New York Times detailing Baldoni's alleged problematic behavior, including multiple text messages that seemingly support the claims.
Justin Baldoni denied all of Lively's allegations and countersued her and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, in a $400 million lawsuit. He accused the Hollywood couple of extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy. Since then, both parties have been filing lawsuits and motions against one another.
In the latest developments in the Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni saga, the actress's longtime friend, Taylor Swift, was subpoenaed by Bryan Freedman. The singer's representatives released a statement denying her involvement in anything related to It Ends With Us, except permitting the use of one of her tracks.
Further developments in the case are awaited. Meanwhile, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni will face each other in court in March 2026.
