Blake Lively's alleged feud with director and costar Justin Baldoni on the set of It Ends With Us exploded into multiple lawsuits in 2025. The former Gossip Girl star kicked off the legal battle by filing a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department and subsequently sued Baldoni over sexual harassment allegations. Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman fired back by calling Lively's allegations "completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious," before countersuing the actress for $400 million on the filmmaker's behalf in January 2025. Lively's lawyers declared "total victory and a complete vindication" against Baldoni when his countersuit was dismissed in June 2025, but their court battle is far from over. A trial over Lively's original lawsuit is set to take place in New York in March 2026, with her husband, Ryan Reynolds, pal Taylor Swift and other It Ends With Us stars all being dragged into the matter along the way. Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively Were 'Unknown' to Judge Before Legal Battle Keep scrolling for a full timeline of the legal battle. Lively Files Complaint Against Baldoni The New York Times reported on December 21, 2024, that Lively had filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department against Baldoni. The initial complaint included a litany of accusations about Baldoni's alleged onset conduct on It Ends With Us and alleged smear campaign against Lively. Lively claimed that a meeting was held to address "a hostile work environment" on It Ends With Us, where her husband, Reynolds, was present. Lively recounted requesting "no more showing nude videos or images of women to Blake, no more mention of Baldoni's alleged previous 'pornography addiction,' no more discussions about sexual conquests in front of Blake and others, no further mentions of cast and crew's genitalia, no more inquiries about Blake's weight, and no further mention of Blake's dead father" at this meeting. Lively allegedly also asked for "no more adding of sex scenes, oral sex or on camera climaxing by BL [Blake Lively] outside the scope of the script BL approved when signing onto the project" to be added to It Ends With Us by Baldoni or other creatives. Elsewhere, Lively accused Baldoni of using a "social manipulation" campaign to smear her reputation, including sharing a text message allegedly sent by his publicist to a studio PR contact about him allegedly wanting "to feel like [Lively] can be buried." Another Complaint Lively's legal filing referenced a complaint from an unnamed It Ends With Us actress about Baldoni's onset conduct. Her lawyers wrote in court documents that Lively's decision to raise concerns about Baldoni "were not only for herself, but for the other female cast and crew, some of whom had also spoken up." "As result of Mr. Baldoni's behavior, on May 29, 2023, another cast member lodged a sexual harassment complaint about Mr. Baldoni's 'gross' and 'unwanted comment[s]' towards her and others," the complaint read. Lively stated that Baldoni "expressly acknowledged her concerns in writing" and promised to "adjust accordingly," though she reported having another worrying conversation with an actress following that agreement. "On June 8, 2023, that actress informed Ms. Lively that 'outside of anything in a scene, I actually cannot talk to Justin at all," her attorneys alleged. "Mr. Baldoni later expressed suspicion regarding Ms. Lively's friendship with this actress, as if they were colluding against him." Lively alleged that Baldoni made demeaning and sexist comments about her and other coworkers during production on It Ends With Us, in addition to sharing alleged details about having sex without asking for consent in the past. (Baldoni denied any wrongdoing.) Baldoni's Lawyer Responds In the immediate aftermath, Baldoni's lawyer Freedman dismissed the merit of the complaint in a statement to Us Weekly. The attorney suggested the complaint was Lively's attempt to "fix her negative reputation" and "rehash a narrative" that It Ends With Us' production was troubled. Freedman accused Lively of making "multiple demands and threats" throughout production of the blockbuster, including "threatening to not show up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release, if her demands were not met." 1st Mention of Taylor Swift Involvement The first mention of Lively's friend Swift's involvement in the dispute seemingly came in an exhibit attached to the complaint by the It Ends With Us actress' attorneys. A crisis management expert working for Baldoni allegedly wrote in an August 2024 email that "we have seen the most innocuous issues turn giant due to socials or the hugest crises have no effect on social whatsoever. You just cannot tell at this stage. But, BL [Blake Lively] does have some of the same TS [Taylor Swift] fanbase so we will be taking it extremely seriously." Another "scenario planning" document prepared by Baldoni's side referenced how their "te