Blake Lively won't settle Justin Baldoni case as remarks leak
- - Blake Lively won't settle Justin Baldoni case as remarks leak
Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY December 6, 2025 at 3:09 AM
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The nearly year-long contentious court battle between "It Ends With Us" costars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni shows no signs of a settlement.
In a Dec. 4 filing obtained by USA TODAY, the "Gossip Girl" actress' legal team said she deserves her "day in court" after Baldoni's lead counsel, Alexandra Shapiro, filed a motion last month to have her sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit decided in his favor without a jury trial.
Her team accused Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios' CEO Jamey Heath of "throwing the kitchen sink at Lively’s sexual harassment and retaliation claims" after using their close friendship to cover misdeeds on the set of the 2024 romance film under a "certain degree of impunity."
"Lively may be a movie star, but on the set of the Film, Heath and Baldoni were her bosses with a total consolidation of power as lead actor, producer, director, co-chairman, president, and CEO," the filing states. "They set her schedule and her salary, appeared on and managed the set every day, were responsible for receiving and addressing HR concerns, and had the power to exert influence over Lively’s working conditions."
Justin Baldoni releases new footage amid legal battle with "It Ends with Us" co-star Blake Lively
Lively filed the suit in late 2024, accusing the "It Ends with Us" director of engaging in inappropriate sexual conduct on and off set and helping orchestrate a smear campaign against her.
2022 conversation about circumcision revealed
The comments come after People reported a private exchange between the actors at Lively’s New York City apartment in December 2022 while she was pregnant. When discussing whether Lively’s baby would be circumcised, Baldoni shared that he was circumcised despite not being directly asked, according to People.
USA TODAY has reached out to Baldoni and Lively's representatives for comment.
"There were people going all around. Mr. (Ryan) Reynolds was in and out of the conversation. She had, I think, two nannies. I felt like there was a housekeeper there. Her assistant was walking around. I think she had two assistants there. Her and I were sitting on the couch, but there were people all around," Baldoni said, per People.
The "Jane The Virgin" actor said he has never shared information about his genitalia with other work colleagues, adding, "I don’t talk about my genitalia."
Baldoni says Lively played the victim under 'Taylor Swift playbook'
Court documents also revealed Baldoni accused Lively of pretending to be a victim by following what he called "the Taylor Swift playbook," according to Page Six.
Baldoni wrote the comments to a friend group, which included "The Office" star Rainn Wilson and musician Andy Grammer, after a Jan. 3 meeting with Lively that he called "traumatizing," Page Six reported.
"If she doesn’t promote the movie, she can leak that I’m a bad person or that she felt unsafe with me and all the stuff she has on me. Then she’s the victim. It’s the Taylor Swift playbook," he wrote. "So she can ask for whatever she wants because she knows I know."
In June, a judge dismissed Baldoni's counterlawsuit for extortion after deciding the case did not hold up legally, though his team had the option to file a second amended complaint. It was fully terminated in October and a trial is slated for March 9, 2026.
Contributing: Anna Kaufman and Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Blake Lively won't settle Justin Baldoni case amid new leaked remarks
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
