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Justin Baldoni is already 'devastated financially' ahead of trial with Blake Lively, says high-profile lawyer

The It Ends With Us actor and Jane the Virgin alum is suing the Gossip Girl actress for $400 million

Beatriz Colon
Beatriz Colon - New York
New York WriterNew York
February 4, 2025
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Going forward with a hundred million dollar lawsuit isn't easy, at least not for Justin Baldoni.

The Jane the Virgin actor is gearing up for a legal battle against both Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds as well as the New York Times, respectively, over allegations made by the former and reported by the latter pertaining to his behavior on the set of It Ends With Us, which he directed.

He is suing the newspaper for a whopping $250 million for alleged defamation, while he is suing the Hollywood couple for $400 million, also for allegedly causing harm to his career and reputation over their claims.

TRAILER: It Ends With Us

And though a trial hasn't even come close to starting — it is currently set for next year — the process is already apparently devastating Justin's finances. (He has a reported net worth of $4 or $6 million).

Blake vs Justin: feud timeline

blake lively justin baldoni lawsuit© Getty Images

2024

9th August – It Ends With Us is released

6th August – Justin walks the red carpet away from the rest of his costars during the movie premiere

 13th August –Justin hires crisis PR Melissa Nathan who represented Johnny Depp during his defamation trial

20th December – Blake files a huge lawsuit against Justin, accusing him of "unprofessional'' behaviour on set

21st December – Justin is dropped by his talent agency

22nd December – The New York Times leaks private messages, attesting to a PR smear campaign against Blake

31st December – Justin files a lawsuit against The New York Times

31st December – Blake files a lawsuit against Justin

2025

16th January  – Justin countersues Blake for $400 million

21st January – Justin's team releases footage from the It Ends With Us set, contradicting Blake's argument

27th January – A trial date is set for March 2026

27th January – Audio of Justin is leaked where he allegedly apologises to Blake during filming

1st February –Justin's team launches a website with two legal documents about the dispute

5th February – Blake is sued by crisis PR firm for $7 million

During a pre-trial conference on Monday, February 3 to address Blake's request for a gag order for Justin and his lawyer, Bryan Freedman, the latter revealed that his clients, which include Justin as well as It Ends With Us producers Jamey Heath and Steve Sarowitz, their production company Wayfarer Studios, and publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, who allegedly ran a smear campaign against Blake, have been "devastated financially and emotionally."

Justin's lawyer is known for helping a variety of A-list stars through a myriad of legal needs, including Don Lemon and Tucker Carlson following their firings from their respective networks, Chris Harrison, The Bachelor franchise's former host of twenty years, when he parted ways with Bachelor Nation after a racist incident with former contestant Rachel Lindsay, and others such as Julia Roberts, Quentin Tarantino, Mariah Carey, Gabrielle Union, and Seth Rogen.

Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and Justin Baldoni at the New York premiere of "It Ends With Us"© Getty Images
Justin is suing both Blake and Ryan

Per People, he further shared during the pre-trial conference: "Not to sound like a four-year-old fighting a four-year-old with 'they started it,' but in these kinds of cases, once someone says something it becomes fact: there's no way to fight against it."

Justin is pulling all the stops in his pricey lawsuit, including the recent publication of a website dedicated to exposing the supposed truth about what happened on the set. Titled "Lawsuit Info," it includes two PDFs, one of them titled "Amended Complaint," which shares details of his lawsuit.

Colleen Hoover and Blake Lively seen at Book Bonanza for IT ENDS WITH US, in theaters August 9 from Columbia Pictures. at Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center on June 14, 2024 in Grapevine, Texas. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Sony Pictures)© Getty Images for Sony Pictures
Blake with It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover

The other is titled "Timeline of Relevant Events," and it includes a timeline of events from when Justin first emailed author Colleen Hoover about adapting It Ends With Us, in January 2019, to last month, when the lawsuit was filed against the NYT, which accuses them of conspiring with Blake and Ryan "for months" to prepare an exposé.

justin baldoni in pink suit with wife emily in silver dress on red carpet© Getty Images
The actor and his wife Emily Baldoni

The "Timeline of Events" PDF, which is over 168 pages, also includes several alleged conversations between Justin, Blake and Ryan, plus their respective teams.

brandon sklenar and blake lively it ends with us© Getty Images
Much of the cast has stood behind Blake

It also features several text chains, apparently between Blake and Justin, as well as between Ryan and Justin, prior to filming the movie, in which they express "their mutual respect for each other."

Blake vs Justin: feud timeline

blake lively justin baldoni lawsuit© Getty Images

2024

9th August – It Ends With Us is released

6th August – Justin walks the red carpet away from the rest of his costars during the movie premiere

 13th August –Justin hires crisis PR Melissa Nathan who represented Johnny Depp during his defamation trial

20th December – Blake files a huge lawsuit against Justin, accusing him of "unprofessional'' behaviour on set

21st December – Justin is dropped by his talent agency

22nd December – The New York Times leaks private messages, attesting to a PR smear campaign against Blake

31st December – Justin files a lawsuit against The New York Times

31st December – Blake files a lawsuit against Justin

2025

16th January  – Justin countersues Blake for $400 million

21st January – Justin's team releases footage from the It Ends With Us set, contradicting Blake's argument

27th January – A trial date is set for March 2026

27th January – Audio of Justin is leaked where he allegedly apologises to Blake during filming

1st February –Justin's team launches a website with two legal documents about the dispute

5th February – Blake is sued by crisis PR firm for $7 million

It Ends With Us also featured Brandon Sklenar, Jenny Slate, Isabella Ferrer and Hasan Minhaj, most of whom had distanced themselves from Justin prior to the legal drama unfolding.

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