Court documents unsealed ahead of Thursday’s arguments before a U.S. federal judge in New York disclosed text messages and emails sent by actor Blake Lively, including ones sent to longtime friend Taylor Swift.
It’s the latest development in a bitter, yearlong legal battle between Lively, 38, and Justin Baldoni, 41, who co-starred with Lively in and directed the 2024 film It Ends With Us.
During Thursday’s hearing, one of Baldoni’s lawyers urged U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman to dismiss Lively’s lawsuit, which alleges sexual harassment and retaliation from Baldoni, saying the case was built on “petty slights” and fell short of legal standards for claims of a hostile workplace.
“A whole bunch of little things can add up to a big thing,” the judge responded.
Lively’s lawyer, Esra Hudson, countered with her allegations of repeated unwanted physical touching or humiliating incidents on the set, including an unscripted moment when she said Baldoni leaned in and kissed Lively, putting his face on her face.
“She’s clearly having her boundaries crossed in that moment. It was a surprise. No one discussed it before,” Hudson said.
When the judge said he was “still having trouble” determining how the question of consent fits on the set of a movie, Hudson urged him to look at the “totality of circumstances,” including when Lively was unexpectedly made to “crawl on all fours” and simulate a sex act.
The lawsuit was first brought forward by Lively in December 2024. As well as alleging sexual harassment on the set of It Ends With Us, she is also accusing Baldoni of co-ordinating a campaign to damage her reputation after she came forward with her claims.
Celebrities have been roped into the legal feud as the case progressed in court.
According to a document from Lively’s legal team, others likely to have information about the case include model Gigi Hadid; actors Emily Blunt, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera and Hugh Jackman; influencer Candace Owens; media personality Perez Hilton; and designer Ashley Avignone.
Justin Baldoni has launched a $250-million US libel lawsuit against the New York Times related to Blake Lively’s claims that he sexually harassed her on the set of the movie It Ends With Us. Lively has sued Baldoni and others, alleging harassment and a co-ordinated effort to attack her reputation.
Lively’s texts, emails made public
Many of the text messages and emails unsealed Tuesday night were included in filings by Baldoni’s lawyers, who argued that they show Lively was strategically manipulating Baldoni’s public image by leveraging connections with her powerful and famous friends.
Swift’s messages show that before and after their feud became public, she was advising Lively how to use Hollywood’s power dynamics to her advantage.
In April 2024, Lively sent Swift a message containing a link to the trailer for It Ends With Us — which would be released publicly weeks later — featuring Swift’s song My Tears Ricochet.
“Wow I love how they use the song,” Swift replied. “Welcome to hollywood Justin.”
The women then speculated about how the public would interpret the song’s inclusion in the film.
“If Justin was strategic/He would be like no Taylor Swift in the trailer/Because that gives you more power over the film, that’s your ally not his,” Swift wrote.
Lively responded: “You are so right. And so wickedly smart to call it. He should’ve run from your music. I never thought about that. But holy s–t. How stupid. This was his only shot at having the appearance of an upper hand.”
After the hearing, Lively’s attorney Sigrid McCawley told reporters that the text exchange isn’t relevant, and that Lively has done “everything she can to protect her friends from not being brought into that.”
“What’s relevant is her claims that she was sexually harassed in the workplace and the witnesses that were there to see that,” McCawley said.
Other released messages between Lively and Swift include a text exchange from Dec. 5, 2024, where Swift likened Lively and Baldoni’s relationship to “a horror film no one knows is taking place.”
Attorneys for Baldoni and Swift did not respond Thursday to emailed requests for comment from The Associated Press.
How did the dispute begin?
It Ends With Us, a film adaptation of author Colleen Hoover’s bestselling book of the same name, was released in August 2024 amid speculation of tension between the leads as Baldoni took a backseat from promoting the movie.
The film’s lighthearted marketing campaign also came under scrutiny when critics questioned whether its tone detracted from the serious subject matter in the film, which featured a protagonist who faced intimate partner violence.
In December 2024, the New York Times reported that Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department alleging that Baldoni and the studio enacted a “multi-tiered plan” to damage her reputation after she and Reynolds addressed “repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behaviour” by Baldoni and a producer on the movie.
In the complaint, Lively also alleged the plan proposed planting theories online, creating a social media campaign and placing news stories that were critical of her.
In response, Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios tried to countersue Lively, her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, and her publicist for defamation to the tune of $400 million US.
Baldoni and other defendants named in Lively’s lawsuit also tried to sue the New York Times accusing the newspaper of working with Lively to enact a smear campaign, seeking $250 million US.
Judge Liman dismissed both of Baldoni’s lawsuits in June, and the suit against Lively, Reynolds and her publicist was formally dismissed by the judge in late 2025 when Baldoni and his co-plaintiffs missed a deadline to amend claims of contract interference and refile.
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